Viet-Justice

Iran is apparently a Mecca for stem cell research. Due to the religious climate there an embryo is not considered alive until after 3 months. On FoxNews TV a cleric stated that since the embryos are never implanted then there is no possibility they will ever be alive which is what allows for this form of research. This is something American politicians should think about. World dominance is not just about military power. It is also about economic diversity and the freedom to innovate. South Korea, Britain, and others may be the first to innovate in this area and if they are the first to invent, then they get the patent rights. It would be much better if we were to invent and charge other countries for our hard work, but instead we have to resort to ancient superstition running our lives.

Iranian history, going back to the Persian empire, is laced with scientific achievements and one doctor told me, “the scientists would now like to go back to this era and for this reason young scientists are really excited.”

The new-found pride is not just about stem cells. It’s also about nuclear energy. The fact that Iranian scientists figured out how to enrich uranium without having to do so in a foreign country is a big reason the people and politicians say they won’t back down from the United Nations’ demands to stop.

One interesting note here that shows Iran is progressing as a country is that the scientific community wants to return to the era of innovation. The Persian Empire had many innovations. Ultimately this means you cannot have religion interfering with science to attain this level of brain power. This is one small element of hope that the Iranians are slowly slipping out of the grasp of the Islamic clerics into a new renaissance of thought.