111–120 of 329 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, pretty horrible.
Ever killed a fly because it annoyed you? This is not much different. In fact, this was done for science.
It's a bit strange that violence toward insects is fine, but violence towards dogs is not. Ever killed a dog because it annoyed you?
That said, doing it for science at least has a justification.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It kills people too. Kids, adults poisoning others (or themselves). Bad stuff, better keep it locked away.
Kills people = bad stuff, keep it locked away is a pretty dangerous, slippery slope.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And by your reasoning, you should get locked away the second your research can get weaponized. Shockingly, it's not a black and white world with many layers of gray in between, which is what I was trying to show. That a lot of research can get twisted for evil. In your earlier post, you claimed there was "no upside". That's patently false, since these started with the ideal of getting rid of pests more efficiently. Y…
> And by your reasoning, you should get locked away the second your research can get weaponized. No, the second people start weaponizing your research you have the option to stop participating. > Shockingly, it's not a black and white world with many layers of gray in between, which is what I was trying to show. That a lot of research can get twisted for evil. Chemical weapons research is pure evil, I don't doubt tha…
I want to agree with this, but I'm not certain how I would act if I knew my options where a) continue weaponisation research or b) get shot in the face.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> And by your reasoning, you should get locked away the second your research can get weaponized. No, the second people start weaponizing your research you have the option to stop participating. > Shockingly, it's not a black and white world with many layers of gray in between, which is what I was trying to show. That a lot of research can get twisted for evil. Chemical weapons research is pure evil, I don't doubt tha…
> No, the second people start weaponizing your research you have the option to stop participating. I want to agree with this, but I'm not certain how I would act if I knew my options where a) continue weaponisation research or b) get shot in the face.
It makes sense that eventually things would eat plastic. Lignin (wood) and cellulose are pretty tough to break down, but there are things that eat them. Plastic fundamentally (chemically) is made of the same stuff as wood, just in a different arrangement of atoms, and releases energy when decomposed. So it seems quite reasonable that there would be things that can eat it. I think the plastic pollution we are seeing r…
I forget where I heard or read this but for something like millions of years wood and other plant materials was not broken down by anything at all as there were no animals to eat away at them.
And it went on for about 60 Million years which seems an unfathomable timespan.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ever killed a fly because it annoyed you? This is not much different. In fact, this was done for science.
I try not to kill flies, no. The only exception is for multiple flies that won't go away. Ditto for ants. It's a bit strange that violence toward insects is fine, but violence towards dogs is not. Ever killed a dog because it annoyed you? That said, doing it for science at least has a justification.
I don't really follow where you're going with the dog example. What kind of comparison is that supposed to be?
Edit to add: Even ants produce antibiotics that they groom on to their bodies to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus on themselves and inside their nests. So I'm going to continue to swat flies and not lose any sleep over it.
I am skeptical that any sort of bacteria/insect based plastic decomposition project will address the problems with plastic waste. The biggest problem with plastic is not with the products that make it into the landfill, where bacteria could be used. The problem is with what happens when they don't make it into a landfill, and they end up as basically permanent pollutants in the water.
I, for one, have never understood the problem with landfills. There's tons of unused space left, and landfills take up a tiny fraction of that. Who cares if we make a trash hill somewhere and styrofoam sits there for a million years?
There is also the problem that the trash can get spilled all over the environment during storms.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Think of all the carbon that is sequestered because of landfills. Makes you think twice when recycling paper products.
This. Recycling is important, and the net value must be properly calculated (how much you spend producing paper, recycled paper, and which one ends consuming more CO2, for a specific area, since the impact isn't the same everywhere). But sometimes producing new paper must be beneficial.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I, for one, have never understood the problem with landfills. There's tons of unused space left, and landfills take up a tiny fraction of that. Who cares if we make a trash hill somewhere and styrofoam sits there for a million years?
Landfills are actually not that bad of an idea. If we someday find a way to recycle that stuff we can just dig it up again and use it. If a caterpillar eats it who knows where it ends up. In the water? In the ground? In our food? In our blood?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I try not to kill flies, no. The only exception is for multiple flies that won't go away. Ditto for ants. It's a bit strange that violence toward insects is fine, but violence towards dogs is not. Ever killed a dog because it annoyed you? That said, doing it for science at least has a justification.
Well, some insects represent a genuine threat to food supplies and the spread of disease. I don't really follow where you're going with the dog example. What kind of comparison is that supposed to be? Edit to add: Even ants produce antibiotics that they groom on to their bodies to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus on themselves and inside their nests. So I'm going to continue to swat flies and not lose any sl…
My parents used to flip out and kill caterpillars, spiders, etc whenever they saw them. More than once I'd notice one and corral them outside while my parents weren't looking. There's just no point in killing something because it simply exists.
None of this probably matters though.