If you could cure all dieases, would you?

[Hoser]

At the current rate, the earths population is increasing at over 6.5 million people per month, over 80million per year. We are already stretching our resources and no one for sure knows how long we can sustain our current usage. It is not going to get any better with the massive influx of people born each year. One of the major ways that population is kept in check is death by disease (yes I know there are many more unnatural killers). Currently just over 1,890,000 (.573%)people in the USA die each year of the top 10 natural killers. To take this number and apply it to the world that would be just over 37,620,000 deaths per year. If you take into account all other deaths by disease that number would increase slightly (5-15%). Without any other deaths this would mean our global population would only be increasing by 42 million each year rather then 80 million.

So my question to all of you is, if you could cure all diseases world wide, would you?

[Mustard]

Well that all depends. Do weasels count as a disease?

[wonderllama]

I think if you could turn those diseases into a peaceful death when asleep, that might be nicer.

Then people could truly say "it was just their time" or "at least they didn't suffer".

We all know we're going to die, and I suspect most people accept that, but they don't wish to suffer or to die too young, so by eliminating the diseases and saying "well, at some stage after 65 (for example) you'll die peacefully in your sleep" perhaps everyone may feel a little better....

That is of course unless you drink drive, get stabbed in the face by someone or suffer some other non-disease related death.

On the other hand, disease does tend to help moderate human behaviour...

I'd be prepared to cure all the diseases which are not self-inflicted.
So keep the smoking-related lung cancers and the fucked up liver disease through binge drinking etc

[VoxAngelikus]

No. I would add some diseases. There are too many of us. A culling is in order.

[IdiotBrain]

I voted before I asked why there was no "introduce new, terrible diseases." option.

I'd introduce a disease that made people who live off the government teat sterile. Oh and mongo.

[Archangel]

Hell no. Every time I read some article about how people are trying to stop the aging gene or whatever, I'm asking myself, "why, for fuck's sake? So we can have a planet of 180-year-olds, all demanding a pension at 60?"

[NoGravitas]

Hell no. Every time I read some article about how people are trying to stop the aging gene or whatever, I'm asking myself, "why, for fuck's sake? So we can have a planet of 180-year-olds, all demanding a pension at 60?"

Surely if they arnt ageing they wont need to retire though?

[mongo]

i'd only cure vd's, everything else can stay.

[NoGravitas]

Answered yes to this question simply because even if all disease was cured the populations still gona rise and the world will be fucked anyway. Might as well make it quick and painless.

[WET HOT MESS]

Curing all diseases, that's a little too unnatural for my tastes. I might consider the ones that sends its victims into laborious torture that never seems to end. Those I find too cruel to keep, with the occasional exception for some... people. Make more short and sweet diseases. Those are pretty cool.

[freegood]

Most diseases make you stronger. Indians had few diseases and look at what happened to them.

[WET HOT MESS]

They have the world's largest supply of gold and they rape our landlines all day.

[Mustard]

Are we including genetic diseases? You know, like being a ********** or a *****?

[freegood]

They have the world's largest supply of gold and they rape our landlines all day.

So where do I sign to get my disease cure?

[medlar]

The world would over populate, people would still need to die from hemorraging, compound fractures and other physical demises, but I would patent the cures and limit suffering at least, and for sure it would be for diabetes, make billions, and just before patients run out, give them away for free. But you shouldn't mess with natural selection. And disease is what keeps the immune system up. See how viruses have evolved on account of over using anit biotics?

[Das Kahlua]

The world's greatest killer is stupidity. (It's science, you can't argue with it.) As long as we can't cure that, we shouldn't cure people of anything else either.

[Hoser]

Hell no. Every time I read some article about how people are trying to stop the aging gene or whatever, I'm asking myself, "why, for fuck's sake? So we can have a planet of 180-year-olds, all demanding a pension at 60?"

That is what got me thinking about this.

Yes when it hits home we all wish that they had come up with a cure for *insert disease here* so that my *insert family member here* were still alive. But for the most part we spend so much money trying to cure everything, a lot of which we have, I laugh in the face of Polio. But what has happened because of all these cures and medicines? Simple answer, major over population.

Some say that if we were to spread out populations out over the earth we would be fine, but it wouldn't work that way. That would only give each person .0086 square miles each.

As Vox put it so crudely, a cull by natural causes wouldn't be such a horrible thing for the earth.



Edit: OMG SYSTEM ADMIN VOTED IN MY POLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Limp]

I'd cure the ones that affect babies and children.

[Archetype]

Surely if they arnt ageing they wont need to retire though?
Isn't there some idea about interval retirement in science fiction?

[heelsguy]

you can carry this argument even farther: should we provide food to starving africans? or just let them die? if we feed someone for an additional 2 years who WOULD have starved, they will undoubtedly fuck all of those 2 years and probably add additional mouths to feed. (since fucking is one thing you can do for free.)

I say cure the illnesses that are the kind that keep you alive but pathetic for years and years and a burden on loved ones and society. (altzheimers, arthritis, those kind of things)

[Okie Medicvet]

i'd only cure vd's, everything else can stay.

That does include teh aidz right?

[Void]

I'd say yes, assuming space colonization becomes viable, too.

[dnegreiro]

I would say yes and no, sorta. yes if i was given the opportunity, but no I don't wish for it.

[redsox39]

Well, this is funny. For the Record, I am all about Stem Cell research.

But it seems that...

the same people who were banging on Bush and his ilk for saying "fuck you" to people with diseases because of the Stem Cell ban, are the same people with "no" for an answer here...

Interesting...

[UNC]

It's not really that interesting.

[WET HOT MESS]

Well, this is funny. For the Record, I am all about Stem Cell research.

But it seems that...

the same people who were banging on Bush and his ilk for saying "fuck you" to people with diseases because of the Stem Cell ban, are the same people with "no" for an answer here...

Interesting...Are you saying liberals don't want any more conservatives being saved?

[redsox39]

Are you saying liberals don't want any more conservatives being saved?

No I am just saying it is funny that the libs say, "don't cure disease, too many people", but still want to lable George Bush as Evil because he doesn't want science to use Stem cells to cure disease.


(For the record, I DO want science to use stem cells to cure disease)

[Morfin]

If you could cure all diseases, would you?

Are we including stupidity as a disease?

(And just for the record, it is a pure coincidence that I posted this right after a Redsox post. Please do not infer any connection between his post and mine.)

[provplaya1]

The world's greatest killer is stupidity. (It's science, you can't argue with it.) As long as we can't cure that, we shouldn't cure people of anything else either.

Agreed, most of the time people kill themselves, many of the disease contracted are done so through a persons actions or lifestyles. Most people are too stupid to care or know better.

[Pox]

Well, this is funny. For the Record, I am all about Stem Cell research.

But it seems that...

the same people who were banging on Bush and his ilk for saying "fuck you" to people with diseases because of the Stem Cell ban, are the same people with "no" for an answer here...

Interesting...
I counted a grand total of 2 liberals who voted no. Who are you talking about?

[dnegreiro]

what's really interesting is how even all the votes are.