Monthly Archives: December 2019

[ACC] Should Gene Editing Technologies Be Used In Humans?

[This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest by Nita J and Patrick N.] Introduction In October 2018, the world’s first genetically edited babies were born, twin girls given the pseudonyms Lulu and Nana; Chinese scientist He Jiankui … Continue reading

Open Thread 143.25

This is the twice-weekly hidden open thread. You can also talk at the SSC subreddit or the SSC Discord server.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1,380 Comments

[ACC] Should We Colonize Space To Mitigate X-Risk?

[This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest by Nick D and Rob S.] I. Nick Bostrom defines existential risks (or X-risks) as “[risks] where an adverse outcome would either annihilate Earth-originating intelligent life or permanently and drastically … Continue reading

Open Thread 143

This is the bi-weekly visible open thread (there are also hidden open threads twice a week you can reach through the Open Thread tab on the top of the page). Post about anything you want, but please try to avoid … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 998 Comments

[ACC] Does Calorie Restriction Slow Aging?

[This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest by the delightfully-pseudonymous Adrian Liberman and Calvin Reese.] About the Authors: Adrian Liberman is currently a PhD student in biology at a university in the mid-Atlantic. He previously worked at … Continue reading

[ACC] Is Eating Meat A Net Harm?

[This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest by David G and Froolow. Please also note my correction to yesterday’s entry.] Introduction Many people around the world have strong convictions about eating animals. These are often based on … Continue reading

Correction To Circumcision ACC

The original title of the essay was “Circumcision: Harms, Benefits, Ethics”. I wanted to have all the titles in the same format, as questions, so I titled my post “Is Circumcision Ethical?” Then lots of people got upset because the … Continue reading

Open Thread 142.75

This is the twice-weekly hidden open thread. You can also talk at the SSC subreddit or the SSC Discord server.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 913 Comments

[ACC] What Are The Benefits, Harms, And Ethics Of Infant Circumcision?

[This is an entry to the 2019 Adversarial Collaboration Contest by Joel P and Missingno] “They practise circumcision for cleanliness’ sake; for they would rather be clean than more becoming.” – Herodotus, The Histories – 2.37  The debate over circumcision in … Continue reading

2019 Adversarial Collaboration Entries

Thanks to everyone who sent in entries for the 2019 adversarial collaboration contest. Remember, an adversarial collaboration is where two people with opposite views on a controversial issue work together to present a unified summary of the evidence and its … Continue reading