It's all too easy to dismiss the future. People confuse what's impossible today with what's impossible tomorrow.
George M. ChurchRead
At some point, someone will come up with an airtight argument as to why they should have a cloned child. At that point, cloning will be acceptable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that societal acceptance of cloning will depend on the strength of arguments supporting it.
George M. Church highlights the idea that technological advancements, such as cloning, often face ethical scrutiny until a compelling argument is presented that aligns with societal values. As humans, we tend to accept new scientific possibilities when they are framed in a way that addresses our concerns and resonates with our morals, suggesting that the evolution of technology is often shaped by societal discourse.
Themes
CloningArgumentSocietyAcceptanceEthics
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about genetic engineering, this quote can be used to illustrate how public opinion can shift with persuasive arguments.
More from George M. Church
All quotes βYou can't just hoard your ideas inside the ivory tower. You have to get them out into the world.
George M. ChurchRead
Clearly, we are a species that is well connected to other species. Whether or not we evolve from them, we are certainly very closely related to them. A series of mutations could change us into all kinds of intermediate species. Whether or not those intermediate species are provably in the past, they could easily be in our future.
George M. ChurchRead
We have a love affair with the idea of the 'natural,' even though we, as a species, are about as unnatural as you can imagine.
George M. ChurchRead
Most people are excited about themselves. Personal genome will deliver for inexpensively something about science to which you can relate. Just like computers are becoming something to which you can relate. It should be even easier to relate to your own biology, and I hope that will be one of the ways we get broader literacy in science.
George M. ChurchRead
Every cell in our body, whether it's a bacterial cell or a human cell, has a genome. You can extract that genome - it's kind of like a linear tape - and you can read it by a variety of methods. Similarly, like a string of letters that you can read, you can also change it. You can write, you can edit it, and then you can put it back in the cell.
George M. ChurchRead
Similar quotes
Many discoveries are reserved for ages still to come . . . . Our universe is a sorry little affair unless it has in it something for every age to investigate.
Seneca The YoungerRead
The universe is a symphony of strings, and the mind of God that Einstein eloquently wrote about for thirty years would be cosmic music resonating through eleven-dimensional hyper space.
Michio KakuRead
I can now state that I have succeeded in operating a motive device by means of [cosmic rays]. I will tell you in the most general way, the cosmic ray ionizes the air, setting free many charges - ions and electrons. These charges are captured in a condenser which is made to discharge through the circuit of the motor.
Nikola TeslaRead
Certainly I see the scientific view of the world as incompatible with religion, but that is not what is interesting about it. It is also incompatible with magic, but that also is not worth stressing. What is interesting about the scientific world view is that it is true, inspiring, remarkable and that it unites a whole lot of phenomena under a single heading.
Richard DawkinsRead
It is a curious historical fact that modern quantum mechanics began with two quite different mathematical formulations: the differential equation of Schroedinger and the matrix algebra of Heisenberg. The two apparently dissimilar approaches were proved to be mathematically equivalent.
Richard P. FeynmanRead
We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of them can be made to fit the facts. But that theory is always preferred which makes the fewest number of assumptions.
Albert EinsteinRead