Blinded (with Science?)

[itmeanscourage]

Furious, flustered and frightened, Isamu didn’t stop running until he’d reached the plaza. Out of breath, he sunk down behind one of the larger walls.

“Of all the… it is preposterous. That is what it is…” he huffed to himself, trying to gather his thoughts. “If I were actually collecting data without consent, or in direct violation of consent, that would be one thing… but a meta-analysis? A review of pre-existing literature? How can anyone object to that on ethical grounds?!”

Someone had, though. And that someone happened to be his brother’s girlfriend. Of course, it was not a question of if Minoru would find out about an argument heated enough to make the Anthean’s eyes glow. Just a question of when.

But at the moment, Isamu wasn’t even thinking about that.

“Is curiosity, in and of itself, a crime? If learning something new is satisfying or even pleasurable, does that automatically make it as reprehensible as getting high?” He pondered loud enough for any passersby to hear him. “Is science, simply because it requires empirical evidence, ideologically unethical? Where, between theory and practice, is that line drawn and who, if anyone, has the right to decide when it is crossed?!”

Comments

[onward_and_upward]

Astro was heading through the plaza when he heard the familiar distressed voice. He had been out on an errand and was easy to spot with his distinctive hair and NASA jacket that Tom had given him for Christmas last year. The robot trotted over through the cluster of benches, peeking around the wall and spotting a familiar face to go with the voice.

"Isamu! What's wrong? What happened?" Astro asked with concern as he approached. He didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time with Isamu or his brother Minoru, but he knew them through his associations with Aletayria, Tom and their family. He knew that Isamu was the more scientifically oriented one. The young teen robot frowned slightly as he pondered the question.

"There's nothing wrong with being curious. Learning new things is a good thing! There's also nothing inherently wrong with Science, theory, practice or otherwise. I think that line you mentioned is drawn when it gets into the realm of harming others or life in general." He didn't think that Isamu would be the type to hurt others though.

[itmeanscourage]

As soon as Isamu saw Astro standing in front of him, he went quiet. Here, he’d just come out of a very heated debate with Tom’s child, and now he was face to face with someone who might as well fit that same definition. In the Stardust house, Astro was like family.

He was careful when he answered, “what happened… I suppose you could say that individuals have differing opinions on what constitutes harm.”

That was the most polite way to say it. And the more Isamu thought about those words, the more he realized how true it was. That was what the argument was truly about.

[onward_and_upward]

Astro frowned a little, leaning against the wall next to Isamu and looking up at him. "What are you working on that would cause such upset?" He asked finally, studying the other with large dark eyes. He was the concerned more than judgmental type. "You said something about a meta-analysis?" He grinned a little sheepishly. "Couldn't help but hear you when I was on the other side of the plaza." His super hearing was a bit legendary, whether someone was speaking with a raised voice or not.

[itmeanscourage]

"At present, it was merely a thought exercise." he explained, glancing down at the smaller robot a little sheepishly himself. "A hypothetical study to proposed to quantify what was currently considered beyond scientific measurement. And a theoretical disagreement over whether that was ethical."

Of course, even if the experiment was theoretical, the opinion of Isamu didn't seem to be. That, was pretty cut and dry as far as Ziggy was concerned.

"Apparently, seeking to understand something outside of my limited perception is, by its very nature, unethical. And I, on par with a tyrant or a torturer."