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Most right-thinking people today consider the preservation of endangered species to be an ethical imperative. The underlying assumption (correct in the vast majority of cases) is that the endangered species have been brought to the brink as a result of careless human activities. Habitat destruction, hunting, pollution, and other aspects of the modern industrial age have stressed the biosphere so heavily that some ecologists consider it to be a mass extinction event. One of the many animal species facing extinction in coming years is the Tasmanian Devil. However, unlike many others, the Devil is going extinct because of a naturally occurring pathogen: Devil Facial Tumor Disease. This raises an interesting question: Should human beings always seek to prevent the extinction of animal species, regardless of the cause of that extinction?
. It all started over the remarks Brian Cox (scientist, rock star, all-around cool dude) made on his most excellent Wonders of The Solar System television program. Clip after the jump.
Now that exams are over, I have time to reflect on the material I’ve covered over the last 4 months. From Cognitive Systems and Philosophy of Perception to Functional Programming, I’ve had an extremely varied curriculum. A strong common theme which ran through all my school work this term was the ethical practices and ramifications of scientific work: from discussions of the bioethics of genetic modification, to more abstract debates over what rights, if any, we should afford to a hypothetical True AI.
