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:schopenmarsey: :marseybigbrain: ETHICS DEBATE #3: Now I Am Become Death :marseyoppenheimer: :marseynukegoggles:

Alright, no more discussion of the limits of free trade. Let's talk about technology. I saw a lively debate on here between @TheTroubleWithPibbles, @August, @Geralt_of_Uganda, etc, about whether it is ethical to develop technologies...

Scenario

This, of course, actually happened

J. Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant scientist.

being so brilliant, he was able to conceive of, and help build, the greatest weapon known to mankind - the atomic bomb.

Oppenheimer, of course, didn't know the long term consequences of developing such a weapon - but he understood the sheer destructive potential of such a device.

Your question is: Was Oppenheimer acting ethically by assisting to develop the atomic bomb?

NOTE: In this hypothetical, history is at a crossroads. You don't know what will happen in the future - whether the device you created will be used to end life on earth or to usher in a new golden age.

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Why do you give us the reasoning for each answer along with each answer? Do you not understand the concept of people coming to the same conclusion in different ways?

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Don't overthink it. A lot of people can't conceive of alternatives to their preferred moral framework, this is just to stimulate discussion

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