Tag: Ethics

Slaughter-Free Meat

Cellular Agriculture Company Mosa Meat Raises $8.8 Million to Bring Lab-Grown Meat to Market by Kat SmithKat Smith

What is clean meat? In 2013, Mosa Meat created the world’s first slaughter-free burger grown from cow cells in a sterile environment. By launching its clean meat burger on a commercial level, the company hopes to supply the growing global population with a “real” option that is more environmentally sustainable, less resource-intensive, healthier, and kinder to animals than a traditional beef burger. Mossa Meat estimates that clean meat production will use 99 percent less land and 96 percent less water than animal-raised meat, making it a sustainable solution to feed the future.

Mosa Meat, a Netherlands-based food tech company has raised $8.8 million in funding that will allow the company to launch its clean meat beef burgers to market by 2021.

I can't wait for this product to be sold in my supermarket, mostly because it has implications for vegans and vegetarians who chose their diet based on ethical arguments. I would be able to eat this meat product and be on the same supposedly moral high ground as every single member of PETA. The arguments that humans should not be killing animals for food or that raising animals for meat is wasteful and harmful to the environment become moot. Consumers will have options that are animal free.

Autonomous Vehicle Thought Experiment

Test Case By Charlie Stross by Charlie Stross

Firstly, it's apparent that the current legal framework privileges corporations over individuals with respect to moral hazard. So I'm going to stick my neck out and predict that there's going to be a lot of lobbying money spent to ensure that this situation continues ... and that in the radiant Randian libertarian future, all self-driving cars will be owned by limited liability shell companies. Their "owners" will merely lease their services, and thus evade liability for any crash when they're not directly operating the controls. Indeed, the cars will probably sue any puny meatsack who has the temerity to vandalize their paint job with a gout of arterial blood, or traumatize their customers by screaming and crunching under their wheels.

Autonomous Vehicle Thought Experiment

Test Case By Charlie Stross by Charlie Stross

Firstly, it's apparent that the current legal framework privileges corporations over individuals with respect to moral hazard. So I'm going to stick my neck out and predict that there's going to be a lot of lobbying money spent to ensure that this situation continues ... and that in the radiant Randian libertarian future, all self-driving cars will be owned by limited liability shell companies. Their "owners" will merely lease their services, and thus evade liability for any crash when they're not directly operating the controls. Indeed, the cars will probably sue any puny meatsack who has the temerity to vandalize their paint job with a gout of arterial blood, or traumatize their customers by screaming and crunching under their wheels.

Sadly, I think the reasoning on liability for failures of autonomous vehicles will be driven by law and corporate risk avoidance and not on moral or ethics.