I'm with you there. The ecosystem has been balancing itself out over millenia. The idea that we can introduce genetic changes into the real world and have any idea what the long term effects are is just...bad science.On that note, progress= preserving life for as long as possible. Bioengineering mosquitoes out of existence rests on a crazed notion one species can determine the biogeochemical cycles of a planet and not disrupt interdependencies of delicate, complex, nonlinear systems and have them spiral out of control (butterfly effect).
Or do you think that progress is primarily scientific and technological? — Pantagruel
LOL!Through the fallacy of scientism, everything else seems to regress, to the point that scientific and technological progress have even become self-defeating. In my impression, people who believe in the fallacy of scientism will die out, simply because they are even failing to sexually reproduce.
@PantagruelThat kind of hearkens back to Descartes' idea that science can make us "masters and possessors of nature." Personally, I see it as more of a coming into equilibrium, but in the same spirit as what you describe I think. — Pantagruel
I feel that Descartes here goes against your argument. He would see us as the masters and possessors of nature rather than its shepherds and protectors. — Mark Dennis
I suppose "progress" is in the eyes of the beholder. It depends on your definition, and on your ability to see long-term trends in history. If you are wandering aimlessly, as many believe the universe is doing, just putting one foot in front of another is minimally progressive. But, if you have a specific goal, and the will to reach it, then progress will be apparent as you get closer to that destination, even if it's ultimately unreachable. For most living things in this world though, progress is simply living for one more day, since the "goal" of their genes is to reach sexual maturity, to reproduce, and to leave behind copies of your genes. Yet, for a few creatures, who can imagine the future and plan for it, more specific and arbitrary goals provide a sort of "pull" in a particular direction, which may not coincide with the "aims" of genes, or the "dialectic" of the world. In any case, Progress is measured relative to the plotted course toward a desired or specified end.Can we have true progress in one of these dimensions only, or is culture ultimately a product of the integration of all of them? — Pantagruel
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