In the late 1960s I was transformed into a radical environmental activist. A rag-tag group of activists and I sailed a leaky old halibut boat across the North Pacific to block the last hydrogen bomb tests under President Nixon. In the process I co-founded Greenpeace. . . . Environmentalists were often able to produce arguments that sounded reasonable, while doing good deeds like saving whales and making the air and water cleaner. But now the chickens have come home to roost. The environmentalists’ campaign against biotechnology in general, and genetic engineering in particular, has clearly exposed their intellectual and moral bankruptcy. By adopting a zero tolerance policy toward a technology with so many potential benefits for humankind and the environment, they . . . have alienated themselves from scientists, intellectuals, and internationalists. It seems inevitable that the media and the public will, in time, see the insanity of their position.
—PATRICK MOORE

Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity Is near: When Humans Transcend Biology. London: Duckworth, 2009.

In a devastating example of critical thinking gone bad, highly educated, deeply caring parents avoid the vaccinations that would protect their children from killer diseases. I love critical thinking and I admire skepticism, but only within a framework that respects the evidence.

Governi del mondo industrializzato, stanchi giganti di carne e acciaio, vengo dal Cyberspazio, la nuova dimora della mente. A nome del futuro, chiedo a voi, emanazioni del passato, di lasciarci soli. Non siete i benvenuti tra noi. Non avete alcuna sovranità dove ci riuniamo.