Pope warns scientists not to risk fate of Icarus

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/October/theworld_October780.xml§ion=theworld

ROME - Pope Benedict told scientists on Saturday that by believing only in “artificial intelligence” and technology they risked the fate of the mythical Icarus, whose home-made wings melted when he flew too close to the sun.

“Contemporary life gives pride of place to an artificial intelligence ever more enslaved to experimental tecnhiques, thereby forgetting that all science should safeguard mankind and promote his tendency to authentic goodness,” the Pope said.

The German-born Pope, a theology professor and an enforcer of Vatican dogma before his election as pontiff last year, has voiced his concerns about some areas of scientific research that clash with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, Benedict is against stem cell technology, which researchers say could help cure serious illnesses but the Church opposes it because it often relies on cells from embryo tissue.

[Warren DeMontague]

1. More like, risk the fate of Girodano Bruno.

Thus sayeth the guy who thinks protecting pedophile Priests qualifies him to lecture 10 Billion humans about their consenting adult sex and birth control choices.

Put a sock in it, Benny.

[gkdmaths]

2. Sounds like the pope's got

quite a scifi movie collection.

:eyes:

[Cleita]

3. Considering that Icarus was the ancient Greek version of

Superman, what is he trying to say? That scientists shouldn't get their research from comic books?

[AntiFascist]

4. Both the Pope and Bush should avoid the fate of "Icarus"....

by not pretending that they speak for God.

[ixion]

5. the pope should preach to the catholics, and to them only.

Personally, I don't give a damn what he thinks. :grr:

[malaise]

16. Ditto

I wish he would STFU and stop yearning for feudalism.

[tomreedtoon]

20. "The Pope" should...but not this particular Pope.

Previous Popes primarily spoke out on humanitarian causes, things that make sense no matter what religion a person might be. Like, the rich nations shouldn't spend so much on weapons and should spend more on the poor. (Of course, given the wealth the Vatican has, that's somewhat hypocritical, but...if the Vatican didn't own it, some rich bastards would, so it's probably better in their hands. They're not selling da Vinci paintings to buy cocaine or a new mistress. I think.)

But especially since the death of Pope John XXIII, most of what the Popes have been saying have been intended to enforce Catholic morality about things like birth control and sexuality on the rest of the world. And little about things like Bush's war morality, which should be addressed.

So yeah, this particular Pope should think before shooting off his mouth.

[varkam]

6. Sorry, but I tend to disregard moral edicts coming from

former Nazis. Take care, Joey.

[Mythsaje]

7. Stick to your own mythos, Ratzinger...

And leave the pagans out of it.

[Webster Green]

19. Heh!

Yep!B-)

[saltpoint]

8. In any case, Icarus survived.

He lived on, after the glue melted from the molten sun and as he crashed into the sea, two lads in a wooden boat rowed out to rescue him, brought him into their village, where the elders nursed himagain to full health. He lived an anonymous life among these gentle islanders in the quietude of pre-history.

It is only relatively modern re-tellings of the story that blame Icarus.

_____

A poem:

----

Icarus
fell down

But
O
that tan

======
on edit to properly attribute poem to a poet
from an early Rolling Stone mag, c. 1974 (?)

[AntiFascist]

9. LOL n/t

[Ken Burch]

12. Icarus LIVED? Holy shit, I didn't know that...

I always hear thought the ICSTER became a pavement patty or shark bait.

[saltpoint]

14. Yep. He lived. I was there when it happened. : )

[OzarkDem]

18. Good one! n/t

[MetaTrope]

10. Er

"Contemporary life gives pride of place to an artificial intelligence ever more enslaved to experimental tecnhiques, thereby forgetting that all science should safeguard mankind and promote his tendency to authentic goodness."

Excuse me, but what the fuck is he talking about?

[Glorfindel]

11. Gosh, he's right! The church has always been correct in its

"safeguard(ing) mankind and promot(ing) his tendency to authentic goodness." Hasn't it? Ask Galileo. Ask the victims of the Inquisition. Ask the enslaved native Americans of Central and South America who had the choice of converting to Catholicism or death. Not that all blame for Christian excesses accrues to Roman Catholics, mind you. The Protestants simply haven't had as much time, but they're catching up rapidly. Benedict, the vile old shaman, presides over a fantastically wealthy and powerful organization that could actually bring some relief to suffering humanity, but chooses instead to rail against scientific progress. What a putrid waste of protoplasm he is.
:puke:

[Ken Burch]

13. Or maybe the fate of Galileo.

Who was silenced for telling the truth about the workings of the universe, thus ending scientific endeavor in the Catholic world for 200 years.

[Homer Wells]

15. Shades of Copernicus!

Remember how the Church threatened him for daring to say that the Earth was NOT the center of the universe.
Deja vu all over again!!

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Yes. The quest for knowledge must be properly managed and disciplined....

like it's a ten year old altarboy. :eyes:

[CHIMO]

21. The Guy

Has gone bonkers. Or he always was that way.

Keeps on trying to make science a belief. Science is not saying they believe in science. Them's the facts.

Just the facts mam!

Truly gone bonkers.

[VeggieTart]

22. Well, dogma isn't intelligence at all...

It's just "do as I say, not as I do" hypocrisy. And artificial intelligence, whatever the hell that means, is better than no intelligence at all.

Sheesh, between the Bushies and the Pope, we could be entering the Dark Ages again.

[Matariki]

23. anyone who says "Mankind and HIS" blah blah blah

should get shipped back to the 14th century. Or at least put ON NOTICE.

[Vidar]

24. I smell Biggie Ratz' feathers burning already.