AW: [alicebot-aiethics] translation of Hawking, oh my god what is the fuss about?

[Christian Dro?mann]

Tamara Thompson wrote:


> Christian thanks for sending that.
>
> First, a couple of quotes taken out of context and translated from another
> language is just ripe for misunderstandings.

They are not taken out of context...they are all what was said about that
topic because the interviewer had a different topic in mind...

> His use of terminology that might seem Nazi, IMHO, is probably a
> red herring
> and not of great importance.  IMHO, the great war's over, German
> is still a
> beautiful and intelligent language--most of my German friends
> over the years
> either knew little of German history or were too embarrassed to
> discuss it.

This is an obvious misunderstanding...
I NEVER meant to say, that Hawking used Nazi-Terminology...
I wanted to point out that he could not realize how delicate the question
was, because of a misleading translation...
I'm pretty sure that Hawking would have phrased his answer in a different
way if the interviewer had actually used the word "Ubermensch"...

> Hawking's comments on genetically engineering humans to be improved
> survivors...well, that is ...that is a very powerful comment.  I'm not so
> offended by the concept.  (my personal mental screensaver is
> always running
> "why do people fight each other and how to find peace in the
> middle east..")
> My cpu has come around to thinking that either mankind makes
> radical changes
> soon or mankind repeats history.
>
> But the comment about having to wait so long to see evolution--that is
> something I have pondered at great length.  And when Hawking says
> '18 years'
> is what it would take to see if changes to human dna are
> good...as small as
> that is, micro small ! , it still seems a dangerously long time.  <smile>

I don't think that the modification of human DNA is an entirely bad
thing...all I want to say is that we should use such methods only as a means
of treatment for DNA-based diseases (cystic fibrosis, down-syndrome, MNR,
etc...) and not as a means of "tuning"...

> So while I try to process that data, I thought I might mention
> that I saw a
> great modern art Holocaust exhibit a year ago, here in Tucson.  One of the
> pieces that truly surprised me was an installation comprised of
> very beautiful
> swastikas, some made of copper, gold,  some painted beautiful colors.  The
> piece was entitled something like: "Take the symbol back!"  I had
> never known
> that the swastika was a type of cross, a peaceful religious
> symbol before Nazi
> Germany used it.

The swastika symbolizes the sun...it was an ancient heathen symbol...

> Another artist had designed a room full of chalk boards, provided
> chalk for
> the viewers to write their thoughts.  And guess what, everyone
> did.  <smile>
> My daughter was pretty little then, she grabbed a piece of chalk
> and without
> any encouragement at all wrote something like "why do people kill each
> other?".  Maybe Hawking has watched the nightly news too much,

children and drunk people always tell the truth...

christian