Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

What would you do if?

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Would you do it?

Yes
14
40%
No
21
60%
 
Total votes: 35

Sjoerd
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Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #1

Post by Sjoerd »

Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
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Jakeypoo
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Post #11

Post by Jakeypoo »

Cephus wrote:I would do it. After all, everyone with AIDS is already going to die (as will we all), most of them will have a vastly diminished lifespan and a miserable existence anyhow. If I could stop further people from being infected with the disease, I'd have no problem sacrificing people who are already affected and the same goes for many other diseases as well.

Just think, had someone in the Dark Ages had that alternative with the black plague when it was getting started, before 1/3 of Europe died of it, would that have been a bad call? I don't think so.
Would you actively kill all of these people and then take the punishment for murder?

Not judging, just curious to know whether one would take responsibility for this, or sweep it under the rug as a dirty little secret.

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Cephus
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Post #12

Post by Cephus »

Jakeypoo wrote:
Cephus wrote:I would do it. After all, everyone with AIDS is already going to die (as will we all), most of them will have a vastly diminished lifespan and a miserable existence anyhow. If I could stop further people from being infected with the disease, I'd have no problem sacrificing people who are already affected and the same goes for many other diseases as well.

Just think, had someone in the Dark Ages had that alternative with the black plague when it was getting started, before 1/3 of Europe died of it, would that have been a bad call? I don't think so.
Would you actively kill all of these people and then take the punishment for murder?

Not judging, just curious to know whether one would take responsibility for this, or sweep it under the rug as a dirty little secret.
That wasn't the original question. It asked if aliens offered to eradicate HIV, with the understanding that anyone who had HIV wouldn't survive the process, would I do it. It said nothing about going around and purposely killing everyone infected.
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elle
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Post #13

Post by elle »

Cephus wrote:That wasn't the original question. It asked if aliens offered to eradicate HIV, with the understanding that anyone who had HIV wouldn't survive the process, would I do it. It said nothing about going around and purposely killing everyone infected.
I personally do not see the difference.
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T-mash
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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #14

Post by T-mash »

Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....

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FinalEnigma
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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #15

Post by FinalEnigma »

T-mash wrote:
Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....
There's a tremendous difference in that the swine flu is very rarely fatal
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T-mash
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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #16

Post by T-mash »

FinalEnigma wrote:
T-mash wrote:
Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....
There's a tremendous difference in that the swine flu is very rarely fatal
Aids doesn't kill people.

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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #17

Post by Goat »

T-mash wrote:
FinalEnigma wrote:
T-mash wrote:
Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....
There's a tremendous difference in that the swine flu is very rarely fatal
Aids doesn't kill people.
It, however, does weaken the immune system so that something else will. While Aids doesn't directly kill people, it is the cause for the immune system to be compromised so something else will. It is a contributing factor in fatalities.
“What do you think science is? There is nothing magical about science. It is simply a systematic way for carefully and thoroughly observing nature and using consistent logic to evaluate results. So which part of that exactly do you disagree with? Do you disagree with being thorough? Using careful observation? Being systematic? Or using consistent logic?�

Steven Novella

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T-mash
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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #18

Post by T-mash »

goat wrote:
T-mash wrote:
FinalEnigma wrote:
T-mash wrote:
Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....
There's a tremendous difference in that the swine flu is very rarely fatal
Aids doesn't kill people.
It, however, does weaken the immune system so that something else will. While Aids doesn't directly kill people, it is the cause for the immune system to be compromised so something else will. It is a contributing factor in fatalities.
In the same way that Swine Flu can "kill" people who already are ill or have hereditary diseases that have weakened them, like Asthma. Not really a tremendous difference and on top of that Aids can be avoided for the most part. If you live your life normally you will not get aids unless very unlucky (coming into contact with the blood of someone with it). Swine Flu however is something we all can get. At any rate my point was that isolating or euthanizing people to stop the spreading of a disease is obviously not the way to go because we get tons of diseases throughout the years. That is why I mentioned Swine Flu because it's something that currently plays in the world.

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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #19

Post by Goat »

T-mash wrote:
goat wrote:
T-mash wrote:
FinalEnigma wrote:
T-mash wrote:
Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....
There's a tremendous difference in that the swine flu is very rarely fatal
Aids doesn't kill people.
It, however, does weaken the immune system so that something else will. While Aids doesn't directly kill people, it is the cause for the immune system to be compromised so something else will. It is a contributing factor in fatalities.
In the same way that Swine Flu can "kill" people who already are ill or have hereditary diseases that have weakened them, like Asthma. Not really a tremendous difference and on top of that Aids can be avoided for the most part. If you live your life normally you will not get aids unless very unlucky (coming into contact with the blood of someone with it). Swine Flu however is something we all can get. At any rate my point was that isolating or euthanizing people to stop the spreading of a disease is obviously not the way to go because we get tons of diseases throughout the years. That is why I mentioned Swine Flu because it's something that currently plays in the world.
A reasonably prudent person would not get Aids unless they were very unlucky, that is true. It take a specific kind of contact to spread. Isolating or euthanizing people might be possible for that kind of disease, but it's not ethical. Education
is the best way to go, and research.
“What do you think science is? There is nothing magical about science. It is simply a systematic way for carefully and thoroughly observing nature and using consistent logic to evaluate results. So which part of that exactly do you disagree with? Do you disagree with being thorough? Using careful observation? Being systematic? Or using consistent logic?�

Steven Novella

Sjoerd
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Re: Would you choose to rid the world AIDS...

Post #20

Post by Sjoerd »

T-mash wrote:
FinalEnigma wrote:
T-mash wrote:
Sjoerd wrote:Suppose an alien from outer space hands you a device that can track down and destroy all HIV RNA/DNA in the world. One disadvantage: any human being with detectable quantities of HIV will not survive the process.

What would you do?
As said earlier in this thread. Their are thousands of viruses or hereditary diseases and the like. Killing of everyone with aids in this way is the same as euthanizing everyone that has swine flu currently. Sure it could stop the epidemic... but yeah....
There's a tremendous difference in that the swine flu is very rarely fatal
Aids doesn't kill people.
Neither does falling from a high place. Hitting the ground, however...
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.
The nakedness of woman is the work of God.
Listen to the fool''''s reproach! it is a kingly title!
As the caterpiller chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

William Blake - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

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