Just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you necessarily should. I’m not sure who originally came up with that particular saying, but there’s a lot to be said for it, philosophically speaking, if you ask me – whether it’s in regards to science, politics or one’s personal life and the choices one makes.

A great example of this which immediately springs to mind: Scientists in Livermore, California, this past summer, who hoped to create a miniature sun by utilizing a Death Star-like laser, approximately the size of three football fields. Now don’t get me wrong, the idea of an unlimited supply of sustainable energy, utilizing nuclear fusion, is of great interest to me, especially with the possibility of man-made climate change staring us in the face. Yet I can’t escape the feeling that I’ve seen this one before (oh yeah, that’s right, didn’t Dr. Octopus build one of these things in “Spiderman 2” that almost destroyed New York City?).

And that’s just one example of scientists’ ability to outthink themselves on a regular basis in my opinion. For all the benefits modern science provides humanity, it seems there’s an equal opportunity for potential disaster. Think Sir Isaac Newton’s third law applied to everyday scientific, political or personal decisions, no matter the scale – “to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.”

And isn’t that the honest truth.