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Is it moral to eradicate viruses?
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by taiyoosenzo
on 2009-11-02 16:20:13
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Aren't viruses a natural form of population control? The kinds of massive epidemics (like the plague) only form when there is an increase of mobility and when there begin to be enough people so that it is possible for the virus to spread rapidly from carrier to carrier. What if in eradicating viruses we are taking away one of the primary ways in which population is naturally checked? Many visions of the future predict that we will run out of space or natural resources and governments will have to control population. If any of these predictions is found to be true, would it be unethical in hindsight to eradicate viruses which would otherwise limit population and keep people from overtaxing the environment. I've just been thinking about this. Let me be clear . . . I have no desire to keep people from vaccines in support of a theory that viruses are nature's population control. Any thoughts? Taiyoosenzo  |
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Re: Is it moral to eradicate viruses?
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by
on 2009-11-02 18:26:24 |
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No. Viruses are not the primary means of population control. The primary restriction on population size is food. That much is objective fact. The question of morality is, of course, subjective. I know of nobody who would allow their child to perish to serve population control. So, I assert the general case, that allowing harm to come to already living people is not a moral way to control population. Recognize that this is an objective measurement of subjective opinion of people that I know, living today. There have been times during human history, as well as in other species, where infanticide is practiced to control population. If a mother is faced with either starving herself, or allowing her children to starve, she will make a difficult choice indeed. I will not speculate about morality in this unfamiliar case, to do so would be overly presumptive. As a corollary to the Hippocratic Oath, modern medicine increases the average lifespan, and thus the size of the living population. If you were to consider eradication of viruses as it effects population size, you must also consider all other live saving and life prolonging medicines. I know of nobody who would complain that the Heimlich Maneuver imorally supports overpopulation. Clearly, combating viruses is no more immoral than combating choking, or cancer, or a bacterial infection. 
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Re: Is it moral to eradicate viruses?
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Um..no. Viruses are not conscious in any way, there is no moral act against them, also they are death or harm inflicting, so why would one feel badly towards it? Also, things like the plague didn't just 'appear for population control' it was caused because of a lack of sanitation...hence it only appeared in one part of the world. There is no "natural population control" that I can think of..population isn't a problem, humans are a problem because we destroy environments.. |
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Re: Is it moral to eradicate viruses?
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by angel_of_stone
on 2009-11-17 14:21:07
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Despite popular belief, humans are no more than animals and all animals are subject to the primal need to survive. People don't develop vaccines to be famous, or to save the lives of people they never met. People develop vaccines because deep down, they don't want any viruses to kill them or their loved ones. And on the topic of overpopulation, it is already here. The Chinese government HAS implemented population control and it is estimated that said law has prevented 250 million births between '76 and 2000 (that's roughly 4% of the current world population). And to Mr. Admin, you mentioned that food is the limiting factor in population size, and I agree with that theory for animals of lower intelligence. However, the opposite is true for humans. Look at the average North American family: 2 kids, and enough money to feed everyone comfortably. Look at the average African family: 4 kids and a pregnant mom with dad making enough money to catch the bus back home at night. But don't worry, this next one will be a doctor and make enough money to feed them... People have a backward way of thinking.
"But as Deepak Chopra taught us, quantum physics means that anything can happen at anytime and for no reason." -Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth
"I don't have any opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything." -Seymour Skinner "...if I got trapped by an evil wizard then I did enough cool s**t in my life to be content with it ending. " -Wolf |