Reply To: The Texas 22nd Primary Elections on March 4th

[jamesr]

Rezwan wrote:
I think there are a lot of interesting observations that will be made in the pursuit of fusion that will be tangibly beneficial.

True. If fusion based devices, such as ion thrusters, LPP’s X-Scan concept, machines for transmuting waste or manufacturing isotopes for medical use become more mainstream then it will be much easier for the public to believe fusion based energy production is just another step in what is a proven technology.

The cliff edge event would be much more dramatic for fusion, and more possible than the cancer cure, I think.

I think if a cure for cancer was found it would be just as dramatic as a fusion breakthrough. We are well on the way to tackling other killers like heart disease or kidney failure. If people don’t die of cancer then what do they die of? People will still get weaker and more frail with age, so we will end up with an increasingly ageing population being supported by a smaller proportion of the population in active productive jobs. The offset of curing younger active people with cancer, I think would be small in comparison to the extra burden of a more distorted demographic.