If we can put a man on the moon and sequence the human genome, we should be able to devise something close to a universal digital public library.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the feasibility of creating a universal digital library, given our technological advancements.
Peter Singer highlights that with the incredible achievements in technology, such as space exploration and genetic sequencing, it is entirely reasonable to expect the creation of a universal digital library. This library would democratize access to knowledge, reflecting our capability to harness technological innovation for the public good.
In practice
In a speech about the future of education, I could use this quote to advocate for the creation of accessible online resources.
The belief that the animals exist because God created them - and that he created them so we can better meet our needs - is contrary to our scientific understanding of evolution and, of course, to the fossil record, which shows the existence of non-human primates and other animals millions of years before there were any human beings at all.
Pain and suffering are in themselves bad and should be prevented or minimized, irrespective of the race, sex, or species of the being that suffers. How bad a pain is depends on how intense it is and how long it lasts, but pain of the same intensity and duration are equally bad, whether felt by humans or animals.
What is faith? If you believe something because you have evidence for it, or rational argument, that is not faith. So faith seems to be believing something despite the absence of evidence or rational argument for it.
Almost everybody accepts that some people can be killed. 'The concept of 'brain death' - the belief that people on respirators can legitimately be killed - shows that.
If we all think only of our own interests, we are headed for collective disaster - just look at what we are doing to our planet's climate.
Even in the era of AIDS, sex raises no unique moral issues at all. Decisions about sex may involve considerations about honesty, concern for others, prudence, and so on, but there is nothing special about sex in this respect, for the same could be said of decisions about driving a car. (In fact, the moral issues raised by driving a car, both from an environmental and from a safety point of view, are much more serious than those raised by sex.)
We don't need to reject or disparage technology. We need to put it in its place.
You insist that there is something a machine cannot do. If you tell me precisely what it is a machine cannot do, then I can always make a machine which will do just that.
The social media platforms have taken over the distribution of news globally. They treat a lie the same way you would treat a fact.
Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence!
I believe AI and its benefits have no borders. Whether a breakthrough occurs in Silicon Valley, Beijing, or anywhere else, it has the potential to make everyone's life better for the entire world.
A back door is a nonstarter. It means we are all not safe... I don't support a back door for any government, ever.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.