As a general matter, technologies should be judged superior if the consequences of their use are reversible. Some common projections about the outcomes of some chemical or nuclear technologies point to effects that could never be recalled from the environment or from the species with which they interact. As we scope out the possibilities here, we need to ask: Would particular paths of research and development risk opening Pandora’s box? If so, how can present policies help eliminate that menace?
• source: Three Questions on Sustainable Technologies • See also XlnkS634