Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: shockwavemikey65 on 02/06/2009 02:17:19

Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: shockwavemikey65 on 02/06/2009 02:17:19
I was just wondering if anybody felt the same way i do!
Title: Re: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 02/06/2009 06:30:01
Like for example what?
Title: Re: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Madidus_Scientia on 02/06/2009 18:20:47
What do you mean by independent developer? independent or not, if the product was something I wanted or needed, and it was the same quality as rival products but cheaper, I would buy it yes.
Title: Re: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Yomi on 02/06/2009 18:22:49
Its ofcourse Yes
Title: Re: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: shockwavemikey65 on 03/06/2009 00:13:13
Like for example what?
As an example say if I created a cellphone that did not use a battery but still worked day or night as long as you have a service signal. I would be the person or developer to produce this product. There would be an overwhelming response by the phone companies and they would either threaten or try to buy me out of my idea. If I decided not to sell out but stand behind my product issues and all would you rather buy from the major companies or from me?
Title: Re: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Madidus_Scientia on 03/06/2009 01:31:51
Well, no one would buy a phone that doesn't actually work
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: syhprum on 17/06/2009 17:20:17
The question is posed in such a black and white manner, 'to destroy the economy' there can only be one answer NO
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Don_1 on 18/06/2009 07:28:59
Maybe I'm just an old pessimist, but I just get the feeling their could be a spam sandwich on its way.
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: lyner on 18/06/2009 11:11:39
The mobile phone is an example of something which may well have more actual harm than good to the economy. The same goes for personal computers. People spend a huge proportion of their time on totally frivolous comms activities which don't help the economy at all. They would often be much better employed producing widgets and organising their daily routines in advance.
(Pot calling kettle black, I think - but you get my point?)
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Karsten on 27/06/2009 16:02:37
Harm what kind of economy?

The kind that needs to grow each year no matter what to be considered healthy? If that is the one in question I am afraid I do it often by NOT BUYING something even though I sure am tempted often.

Would I decide to buy something from you just because you can offer a service cheaper? No, cheaper is not enough for me alone. There has to be more. And if your "service" takes advantage of another company's service but you (or I) are not paying for it I would not buy from you. It is stealing and why would I help you do it? This is an unsustainable product anyways. It only works if only a few people use your product. If too many use it the service signal supplied by those generous regular cell phone companies disappears (they go out of business) and then you go out of business as well. Parasitic technology.

But this is an ethical question, not a scientific one.
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: CluelessAboutScience on 01/07/2009 02:36:19
Wow!  I guess I revealing just what a sick little puppy I can be but, you're asking me if I would destroy an entire economy if I could do so just by purchasing a product?  I guess my inner anarchist would just love the idea that I could sit back and watch a whole economy go "boom" just by purchasing a product.  I'd probably purchase the product just to watch that happen!   [:0]
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Mazurka on 01/07/2009 16:03:01
If you are meaning would you buy a product that would destroy a market - for example a domestic applicance that never needed to be replaced - yes i would
If you are meaning all things being equal would I buy a small company's product over a multinational company's similar product - probably (Put it down to a British sense of supporting the underdog)
If you are menaing would I buy a small company's product for the sake of it being from a small company - then no... 
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: shockwavemikey65 on 20/07/2009 06:01:13
Thank you all for your responses; Sorry guys and gals haven't been online in a while let me correct my subject! Would you as a individual support a product that decreased the need for batteries, but also stopped the need for batteries to be produced??? ie( loosing jobs producing batteries)
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: exton on 20/07/2009 13:53:49
I'd be okay with that.

The economy isn't a static entity; jobs are made and lost all the time. More often than not, the economy isn't ultimately harmed by such activities, it just changes form.

I think of it this way; if we have the technology to obviate the need for batteries, why would we want to waste perfectly good labor making an outmoded technology? The labor could be put to better use elsewhere, and it would be.
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: sleepingbear on 20/07/2009 14:04:45
As we have seen with the recent sub-prime mortgage crisis, many people would buy a product that nearly did destroy the economy. [:0]
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: LeeE on 20/07/2009 20:01:25
Absolutely.  The 'economy as we used to know it' started out as a means to aid the exchange of property and services between people but I think the cart is now well and truly before the horse, with people serving the economy rather than it being the other way around.
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: traveler on 25/07/2009 09:00:42
Technology forces this to happen. Using the cart and horse example, it wasn't too long ago that someone bought a model A ford and started to put his neighbors the cart maker and the horse shoe maker out of business. However, I do support the idea of using the local hardware store instead of the big chain stores.
Title: Would you buy a product that you knew would harm the economy?
Post by: Stefanb on 25/07/2009 20:10:07
It doesn't sound like the phone idea would be hurting your economy  [;)]