The Terrorists Have Won

We dare not use stem cells, lest some evil man somewhere abort fetuses for them.
We dare not invent nanotechnology, lest some evil man use them as weapons.

We dare not invent fire, lest some evil man invent arson.

The terrorists have won, because now we allow them to dictate our actions. We make decisions on what we will and will not develop, create, and exploit, not on whether it will benefit us, but whether terrorists can use what we create to strike at us.

We dare not invent the automobile, lest some evil man invent the hit-and-run. Yet we live with thousands of traffic fatalities each year, without a need to outlaw, restrict, or hobble the family car. We licence them, we police their use, we punish offenders, and then we let the general public do as they want with them.

Ban the ban. We cannot live afraid of our own genius, and we cannot survive while others develop the technology we deny. There are risks involved. Defeat them. There are fears to face. Conquer them.

Go boldly into the future. Don't creep.