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I think Dennet's talk of abolishing skyhooks is misguided. I think what he really wants is to get rid of blind faith and a stubborness that does not allow for consideration of other ideas. More than anything, I think he just wants people to reject religion and accept evolution).

Getting rid of skyhooks doesn't really fly with me. I mean, I said it in class and I'll say it again, we need skyhooks. Skyhooks are what enable us, humans, to look toward the future. Back in the early 1900's, when science fiction was gaining popularity, writers were scoffed at for looking to the stars. For projecting humans to the moon.

And we reached the moon some odd decades later. Without that "skyhook," humans would never have even entertained the notion of space travel.

The same can probably be said of cloning, any kind of genetic manipulation, hybrid cars, or robots. These were ideas people just through around at first, dreaming about the possibilities, hanging up their skyhooks. Eventually, those skyhooks became cranes.

I know that in class we said that the problem was not that skyhooks existed, but that individuals tried to build upward off of skyhooks, to use them as a foundation for other ideas. 

That's probably true. But, regardless, we should not get rid of skyhooks. We depend on them to make life interesting. I would suggest questioning the line between reality and fantasy (COUGHVAMPIRESCOUGH), and allow room for speculation... but don't tear all of the skyhooks down.

...Because I really want a flying car.