Ask HN: Would you take this opportunity?

1 pointankurdhama2 comments

Give the opportunity that you can solve the problem of cancer (or any other major problem humanity faces) but the catch is you won't be able to earn any money or credit for the solution. Would you go for it?

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Credit is uninteresting to me. I don't do most of what I do for credit. I either do it because it interests me or because it's what I feel is right. I suppose there's also the self preservation aspect where I do what I do because it pays and doesn't conflict with the first two.

That said, if I can't support my family then I wouldn't be interested.

EDIT: extra reason

Probably, unless it would take too long or be too draining.

If not getting credit for the cure means it would be credited to someone else, then that wouldn't work. It would have to be something along the lines of the cure magically appearing without anyone knowing who was responsible.

Cancer isn't the main thing that bothers me. It would be things like serious illness in general (cancer can be fatal, but isn't that common-- or maybe I just don't care), poverty, violent crime, inequality, people starving, etc.

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