Science will surely destroy the planet

[Shell B]

The scenario is the availability of weapons of mass destruction to anyone. There doesn't even need to be a chain reaction. Let's say we just had a group of 50 people who were willing to carry these weapons into various cities and detonate them simulataneously. When major cities start getting nuked, bombs start flying. If washington DC got hit, you can guarantee nukes would be launched at someone or everyone. There is a viritually inexaustible supply of suicide bombers ready and willing to volunteer for these missions.

That wasn't your original scenario. Don't move the goalposts.

World War 1 started because the archduke of austria was assassinated. This was because of the complex web of alliances between the countries involved. It's very easy for something like this to get out of hand and spark global war.

That was a political move, not a matter of domestic terrorism or a "regional skirmish." When leaders are taken out, it is common for other countries to get involved.

You say it wouldn't happen because of science? It's only science that makes it possible. In our quest to make everything "better" with technology, aren't we just volunatarily putting a noose around our necks? Is there any wisdom in playing with powers we don't understand and can't contain once they're loosed?

Your thinking is backward. Technology is not just weapons and "science" is a far too broad term to apply to weapons technology. Science isn't evil.

It's proof that these things slip through the cracks and are more probable than you thought. Anyway, what do you think North Korea or Iran is doing in its spare time?

No, the source you provided proved that it doesn't slip through the cracks and that the only way an average person can obtain a worthwhile amount of radioactive material is to harvest it in miniscule amounts from everyday objects. Even still, the man did not do what you claimed he did.

I don't think science is evil, but I do think that it will most certainly be used to destroy the planet, if it were possible that is. Just address the question:

I will address the question. However, I insist that you stick to your original scenario if you are going to start ordering me about.

"The point is, it could be something very simple. A new invention could create weapons we've never dreamed about. It's inevitable given the march of technology that the destructive capability available to individuals will at some point match the capability available to nations today"

No. I do not agree with this at all. Inevitable is an awfully pinpointed term. It leaves no room whatsoever for the chaos and unpredictability that are a part of nature itself. While some things are quite ordered in nature, what is inevitable and what isn't on such a grand scale is not. Could is the keyword here and you are ignoring it. The title of this thread is not indicative of musing. It is a statement, one which I disagree with, largely due to its matter of factness.

Are you claiming this isn't true?

Not claiming -- asserting. You are dealing in absolutes and I assume you are not a prophet.

Again, if major cities are destroyed, nukes are going to fly, guaranteed.

Again, you are dealing in absolutes. You are not mentally equipped to make such predictions. I assure you, this isn't a slight against your intellect. None of us can predict such things.

We almost had world war 3 over the cuban missle crisis. Do you think cooler heads will prevail when millions of people are dead?

Cuban is a proper noun. We do not need cooler heads to prevail. If the truth is that it was a domestic terrorist attack, no one has recourse. It is sad and that is it. Now, that is not to say that someone cannot make it look otherwise and cause something to happen on a larger scale, but it is to say that your oversimplified version of it is getting redundant.

I know you're trying to redirect the conversation to your pet topic

Shows how much you know. I was being sarcastic.

but I'll humor you.

*waiting with bated breath*

If you want to murder unborn children

And there it is. Only Christian children and kittens. /sarcasm

why not just go for broke and shave off a few billion people who aren't doing anything more than using up resources.

Why would I do that? I'm not a hypothetical batshit looney with a nuke I made in my kitchen. I don't care to talk about abortion with you. You're judgmental and entirely motivated by your faith and what I consider ignorance. I doubt you could manage any turns of phrase I have not borne witness to before.

Why should we keep you around for that matter?

"We" who? Do you think you would escape the euthanasia? Oh, no, dear lucent. It would most certainly be all those baby-hating, puppy boiling atheists who instigate a drastic population reduction. I'm sure you won't be around to decide my fate.

How do we evaluate your worth as a human being?

You don't. I am not sucking up your nutrients from the inside and potentially changing your entire life. You have no power, no control and no say in what women do with their bodies. That makes me happy.