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. We have been
seeking knowledge since ancient times. Aristotle opened his Metaphysics with the
simple statement: "All men by nature desire to know." We have, as a bedrock
value in our society, long agreed on the value of open access to information, and
recognize the problems that arise with attempts to restrict access to and
development of knowledge. In recent times, we have come to revere scientific
knowledge.
But despite the strong historical precedents, if open access to and unlimited
development of knowledge henceforth puts us all in clear danger of extinction,
then common sense demands that we reexamine even these basic, long-held
beliefs.
It was Nietzsche who warned us, at the end of the 19th century, not only that
God is dead but that "faith in science, which after all exists undeniably, cannot
owe its origin to a calculus of utility; it must have originated in spite of the fact
that the disutility and dangerousness of the 'will to truth,' of 'truth at any price' is
proved to it constantly." It is this further danger that we now fully face - the
consequences of our truth-seeking. The truth that science seeks can certainly be
considered a dangerous substitute for God if it is likely to lead to our extinction.
If we could agree, as a species, what we wanted, where we were headed, and
why, then we would make our future much less dangerous - then we might
understand what we can and should relinquish
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