NationStates Jolt Archive

I don't get what people's problem with it is...so I brought it here for discussion.

Thoughts?

why is playing god a problem? wardrobe tends to be a bitch.

*shrug* We've been doing it for ages, to one degree or another. It's what we do.

Bomb everything. Bomb everything straight to fucking HELL. Armageddon may be a bitch, but at least she'll be my bitch!

It's good to be the king, baby.

Is "God" a new MMORPG?

I don't get what people's problem with it is...so I brought it here for discussion.

Thoughts?

Can you be more specific?

Playing God is a problem because the person in the role doesn't have the capacity to ferret out every eventuality and make the best decision for everyone. Self-interest and prejudice make for lousy levels of consideration for those you might not like.

Can you be more specific?

Playing God is a problem because the person in the role doesn't have the capacity to ferret out every eventuality and make the best decision for everyone. Self-interest and prejudice make for lousy levels of consideration for those you might not like.


Sure...in what area though?

If it's what I think, I mean that I don't understand why "it's playing God" is considered good reasoning against...say...cloning, or genetic engineering.

why is playing god a problem? wardrobe tends to be a bitch.
What -- it's just a big caftan and a beard. Can't you grow a beard?

What -- it's just a big caftan and a beard. Can't you grow a beard?

you try finding a robe made of sunlight and unicorn dreams.

What -- it's just a big caftan and a beard. Can't you grow a beard?

It'd have to be a white beard, too, and NA's not THAT old yet.

*ducks*

What -- it's just a big caftan and a beard. Can't you grow a beard?
Aw Jeez! Does it have to be that God?

Aw Jeez! Does it have to be that God?

A fair point. NA, how would you feel about dressing up as, say, Apollo? ;)

you try finding a robe made of sunlight and unicorn dreams.
Are those invisible pink unicorn dreams?

Sure...in what area though?

If it's what I think, I mean that I don't understand why "it's playing God" is considered good reasoning against...say...cloning, or genetic engineering.
Serious answer: "It's playing God" is a short-cut speak for "There's a reason why chance occurs in genetics. Individual variations, whether they are good, bad, or neutral for any individual, increase the genetic variety of the species as a whole, thus increasing our likelihood of being able to adapt to almost any conceivable environmental conditions. Thinking we can "engineer" something stronger, faster, better, will end up dooming us because we do not have the million-year foresight of evolution. Therefore, when we think we can build nature, we do a worse job of it than nature/god does. Thus 'playing god' is bad."

Less serious answer:

Cop: "You're playing God!"

Steve Martin: "SOMEBODY has to!"

(from "The Man With Two Brains")

you try finding a robe made of sunlight and unicorn dreams.
I know a boutique in Salem that could hook you up, if you can stand the incense in the place.

Aw Jeez! Does it have to be that God?
If you knew Neo Art...well, let's just say he's not quite the Horus type. (Sorry, Neo, baby.)

I don't really understand the topic... That's my two cents.

I know a boutique in Salem that could hook you up, if you can stand the incense in the place.

but it'd smell like patchouli.

If you knew Neo Art...well, let's just say he's not quite the Horus type. (Sorry, Neo, baby.)

I have the tattoo though!

and wait, why am I NOT a horus type?

If you knew Neo Art...well, let's just say he's not quite the Horus type. (Sorry, Neo, baby.)So . . . the thread is onto a second page (at least, with default settings) and I still haven't gotten a referent . . . what is it we are actually supposed to be posting about? Is it really genetic engineering, or is that just being assumed?

Sure...in what area though?

If it's what I think, I mean that I don't understand why "it's playing God" is considered good reasoning against...say...cloning, or genetic engineering.

See, you need to refine the question before you can get a real answer -- hence all the jokes and hijacking in this thread.

"Playing God" is usually reserved for when someone, not in an emergency, makes a decision about who lives and who dies. With regard to cloning, it's religious folks claiming that the creation of (usually human) life is the sole province of a divine creator, not humanity. That usurpation of God's ability is usually reason enough for some folks to get upset. That gets 'em going about stem cells, too, because of the abortion angle of using embryos for anything other than growing soldi- I mean, babies. Cuuuute little babies.

The implication is that humanity will decide to terminate even the mildly defective (say, aborting nearsighted fetuses), and/or promote some kind of eugenic super-race agenda. The film GATTACA, while insufferably acted, does a decent job of expressing the point of view of eugenic thinking and offers a view of the future predicated on it (as well as a moralistic lesson about how randomness leads not only to defects, but also to savant-like excellence despite defects).

I have the tattoo though!

and wait, why am I NOT a horus type?
You need to work on your abs if you want that part.

http://www.ntrautanen.fi/computers/commodore/images/c64/eye_of_horus.jpg

So . . . the thread is onto a second page (at least, with default settings) and I still haven't gotten a referent . . . what is it we are actually supposed to be posting about? Is it really genetic engineering, or is that just being assumed?
Who knows? Who cares? The only reason I mentioned it is because the OP brought it up as one example of a context in which the phrase comes up sometimes.

Who knows? Who cares? The only reason I mentioned it is because the OP brought it up as one example of a context in which the phrase comes up sometimes.
Well, at least the "Horus" spam is different than we usually get . . .

Well, at least the "Horus" spam is different than we usually get . . .

I answered seriously. But hey.

-snip-

TL;DR please?

I answered seriously. But hey.
I answered seriously, too. I just tagged a joke onto the seriousness. Hell, it's not our job to give a direction to the thread.

TL;DR please?

Are you fucking kidding me? Three short paragraphs? Eight lines? Go jump in a lake of hydrofluoric acid, whelp.

I answered seriously, too. I just tagged a joke onto the seriousness. Hell, it's not our job to give a direction to the thread.

Now that I've received the TL;DR, I wholly agree. I was only 99% in agreement before. So much for the benefit of the doubt.

That usurpation of God's ability is usually reason enough for some folks to get upset.
Romans 8:8 "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

Some people need to remember that shit.

Are you fucking kidding me? Three short paragraphs? Eight lines? Go jump in a lake of hydrofluoric acid, whelp.
-snip-

You take this a bit too seriously...

Are you fucking kidding me? Three short paragraphs? Eight lines? Go jump in a lake of hydrofluoric acid, whelp.

TL;DR

Can you at least summarise this for me?

I make and play with God all the time, whats the big deal?

http://reporting.journalism.ku.edu/fall08/adler-noland/assets_c/2008/12/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster_2-thumb-514x514.jpg

You take this a bit too seriously...
It is almost as if some people were of the impression that this medium of communication were an occupation to be pursued in earnest. A grave affair or solemn endeavor, if you would permit the exercise of my thesaurus.

If you knew Neo Art...well, let's just say he's not quite the Horus type. (Sorry, Neo, baby.)
I like you :)
Are you fucking kidding me? Three short paragraphs? Eight lines? Go jump in a lake of hydrofluoric acid, whelp.

And you, too :)

To play God is to do what we probably shouldn't be doing, ie synthetically creating complex lifeforms (no sperm cells, no egg cell, just test tubes and chemicals), alter lifeforms without all that pesky breeding and evolution getting in the way (apples that grow their own toxic pesticides? What could go wrong?), eugenics (sorry God, but some people think they have a better understanding of who should be born and who should be aborted/steralized against their will, or against the mother's will in the event of an abortion), etc.

God has what we would probably consider the worst job ever. Hard work, long hours, ungrateful clients, nonexistant pay, a competitor in the soul market that almost never plays by the rules, etc. Why the hell would we want his job? We can't even train for it.

To play God is to do what we probably shouldn't be doing, ie synthetically creating complex lifeforms (no sperm cells, no egg cell, just test tubes and chemicals), alter lifeforms without all that pesky breeding and evolution getting in the way (apples that grow their own toxic pesticides? What could go wrong?), eugenics (sorry God, but some people think they have a better understanding of who should be born and who should be aborted/steralized against their will, or against the mother's will in the event of an abortion), etc.

God has what we would probably consider the worst job ever. Hard work, long hours, ungrateful clients, nonexistant pay, a competitor in the soul market that almost never plays by the rules, etc. Why the hell would we want his job? We can't even train for it.
On the plus side, if he ever had a bad day, he could just zap us out of existence. I'd love that power.

On the plus side, if he ever had a bad day, he could just zap us out of existence. I'd love that power.

But with great power comes great responsibility and even greater chances of accidentally screwing up what you spent so many millennia creating. Way bigger pain in the ass than you think.

Now Anpu's job. That's a lot easier. He spends most of his time partying with Jesus and Abraham Lincoln.

But with great power comes great responsibility and even greater chances of accidentally screwing up what you spent so many millennia creating. Way bigger pain in the ass than you think.

Now Anpu's job. That's a lot easier. He spends most of his time partying with Jesus and Abraham Lincoln.

If he's all powerful, he could just start right where he left off.

Someone has to. It seems that God (if indeed he/she/it/they exist) has abdicated.

Does this mean I have to uninstall Spore?

I tried to play God one time, I inspired some of the people to write a book that expresses my wisdom and knowledge. The little fuckers put in their own editorial and now I'm blamed for things I never even said!

I tried to play God one time, I inspired some of the people to write a book that expresses my wisdom and knowledge. The little fuckers put in their own editorial and now I'm blamed for things I never even said!

That's why you stay the hell away from politics.

And you're not the only one. One of the biggest arguments against Jesus's existance goes like this:
1. There was supposedly a guy named Jesus.
2. According to my Uncle Steve and the religion he made up that worships spoon people and taco monsters, Jesus was 100 feet tall and had laser vision.
3. Although it's possible that that was just another thing Uncle Steve made up, 100-foot tall laser-shooting people are impossible.
4. Because they're impossible, there was never any person named Jesus and never will be any person named Jesus. Anyone who believes in a heaven or hell are going to burn in hell because I don't believe in it.


Such logical fallacies make Anpu upset and he just came back from partying with Jesus and Abraham Lincoln.

I tried to play God one time, I inspired some of the people to write a book that expresses my wisdom and knowledge. The little fuckers put in their own editorial and now I'm blamed for things I never even said!

I played God one time too, I fuck ONE jewish girl and they're still fighting over it 2, 000 years later.

I can't remember who originally told that joke.

I tried to play God one time, I inspired some of the people to write a book that expresses my wisdom and knowledge. The little fuckers put in their own editorial and now I'm blamed for things I never even said!

Welcome to the real world...

It messes up a good rp when somebody says "massive armaments explode out of an interdimensional gateway, killing everything."

That is the kind of god-playing that irks me.

A grave affair or solemn endeavor, if you would permit the exercise of my thesaurus.

Keep it in your pants!

I dunno what this thread's about; you dunno what this thread's about; think I'm gonna play god.

ZAP!