Cloning, and is it OK to Be a Luddite?

[Murthy Yenamandra]

Brett Coley writes:
> What do you all think about this essay?  The last paragraph, in part
> 
>  If our world survives, the next great challenge to watch out for will
>  come -- you heard it here first -- when the curves of research and
>  development in artificial intelligence, molecular biology and robotics
>  all converge.  Oboy.  It will be amazing and unpredictable, and even the
>  biggest of brass, let us devoutly hope, are going to be caught
>  flat-footed.  It is certainly something for all good Luddites to look
>  forward to if, God willing, we should live so long.
> 
> makes me wonder if he's been sucked in by a "false promise" of salvation
> held out by these technologies?  Does this paragraph make you think of
> something like the "Borg", or something more mind-expanding, liberating?

Looks like he means that it's something to look forward to, but as the
next great challenge for all good Luddites. To pay attention to and
rebel against, that is, not to be suckered by. All new technologies
promise you liberation, mind-expansion and salvation, and it's too late
by the time you realize that they've got you by the balls.

Murthy

-- 
Murthy Yenamandra, Dept of CompSci, U of Minnesota. mailto:yenamand at cs.umn.edu
    "I'm stubborn as those garbage bags that time can not decay
     I'm junk, but I'm holding up this little wild bouquet
     Democracy is coming to the USA" - Leonard Cohen