Post 13

Many people would agree that most technologies that are made public should undergo intensive trial and error and the inventors should focus more on the possible consequences. In this post I am going to argue that a key issue in the emergence of products and inventions is the lack of trial and error, which leads to commercialization and misuse.

Although it is nearly impossible to predict all the unintended consequences a new product or invention will have upon release, a majority of them can be prevented with thorough trial and error learning and science for science’s sake. Keeping business and money out of a new drug, invention, or idea is important, especially in the early stages to prevent commercialization and premature marketing of a product before it is complete. An example of this is exemplified well by the energy drink “Cocaine”, a high-energy drink containing three and a half times the amount of caffeine as Red Bull. It was pulled from U.S. shelves in 2007, after the FDA declared that its producers, Redux Beverages, were "illegally marketing their drink as an alternative to street drugs" (www.dailyfinance.com). Perhaps if this product was released with a more appropriate name or proposed to the government beforehand, this problem would not have occurred.

Another product that produced unintended consequences due to little to no trial and error learning was the “Agent Orange” pesticide used in the Vietnam War. It was a powerful herbicide used from 1961 to 1971 and was designed to cut through Vietnam's thick canopy of foliage to reveal enemy troops beneath. “While it succeeded, the price was high: exposure proved deadly to humans, causing cancers, birth defects and a slew of other disorders. Some 21 million gallons of it were dumped on Vietnam, resulting in hundreds of thousands of injuries and birth defects to Vietnamese citizens. U.S. veterans faced exposure too; they received a $180 million settlement from its manufacturers in 1984” (www.content.time.com). In other words, this herbicide was effective, but the danger to human life was far too great to continue using it. Unfortunately the product’s unintended consequences were realized far too late and many suffered as a resulted.        

            If inventors or scientists spent an extra month or so on additional testing and ensuring the product was safe, would consumers and everyone else potentially affected by the release of the product complain? After all, safety and health should come first and often when a company sees potential in something they release too early and as a result serious consequences for the company or even general population can arise. It is imperative that comprehensive trial and error learning and testing occurs.

Sources

http://www.dailyfinance.com/photos/top-25-biggest-product-flops-of-all-time/#!fullscreen&slide=982926

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1991915_1991909_1991756,00.html