Wish tom's comments were just a little earlier....

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Subject: Wish tom's comments were just a little earlier....
From: david wiles (rprtcard@aug.com)
Date: Wed 10 May 2000 - 00:34:25 MEST 

From: "david wiles" <rprtcard@aug.com>
Subject: Wish tom's comments were just a little earlier....
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:34:25 +1200

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tom always asks for comments. here are two I wish I could have received just
before sending my latest ifets response to crispin weston.

thought one:
Every technology has its effects which may be
instantaneously seen or which may not be seen for generations to come.
Good and
evil is a judgment call and may or may not be based on the intent of the
individual. a person's hands are tools.

What will happen when we have to make a decision as to whether a
cybernetically
enhanced body/mind is a cyborg, human, technology and what rights and
privileges
it should have. better yet, maybe it will decide what to do with unenhanced
humans....

thought two:
One of the key issues here is that "engineers" and "scientists" can not
remove
themselves from the socio/cultural environment and separate themselves from
their
technological creations. to set the technology outside and apart by claiming
that
it is neutral
 and depends on who uses it for what purpose
is an attempt to
divorce the scientist from the responsibility.....

now I stand by everything that is to follow even more convinced that tom's
second point is an *everyday* occurance. But it is hard to follow the fun
features of such discovery while simultaneously appreciating the 6 hour lag
in processing *normal* email exchanges was likely the loveletter worm and
antigen cleanup work.

David wiles

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