My Amish example was to show that rejecting technology is not the norm in a technologically advanced society. It's the most extreme example, but that doesn't make it wrong. Then you gave two examples of a less extreme rejection, but they didn't work on your own terms, because as I said, they weren't actually rejections of a specific form of technology. If we follow the logic of your examples, the reaction to Synthesis will be, "let's see how we can improve this since it has X drawbacks" not "I don't want this, take it away!" In your examples the rejection was not moral by nature but rather due to specific manifest downsides with the technology, not some identity crisis. Windows 8 has very few parallels with Synthesis.
CronoDragon, as I see it, the Amish example implies that refusal of a specific technology is refusal of all further improvements. My examples are meant to prove you can refuse a specific form of technology, without refusing technology overall, or even other forms of that technology.
And, as I see it, in the example Windows is not comparable to synthesis, windows 8 is; a specific form of that technology, one that can have substitutes without the perceived specific costs of windows 8. You can still be all of windows, (enhancements), and skip windows 8, (synthesis), keeping with windows 7 (pre-synthesis way of installing enhancements) until they create windows 9, (potentially a follow-up of windows 7), and not wanting a windows 8.2.
Or in the nuclear power, you can be against nuclear power, “as is”, but would accept fission power.
Or it is conceivable that you could have some transhumanists refusing synthesis despite embracing enhancements. The same way that, back in the day air travel was starting, you could be all for it and, at the same time, would not be caught dead in a zeppelin. The solution found was not better zeppelins, it was planes.
I don't need to point out how it all works at length, the least of which because demanding specific, scientifically-detailed benefits when your side can't even describe any drawbacks in the vaguest terms isn't going to work for you. However, I'd be happy to describe generally Synthesis's benefits based on what we're given in the game.
2. Enhancements to synthetics: Synthetics meanwhile, are unable to understand organic thought processes. Synthesis changes this. Surely you can see the parallel to our world of improvement in relations once someone takes the time to understand the culture, psyche, and reasoning process of a given population. Being able to predict, at least to a much larger extent, organic response to a given action will assist synthetics in managing diplomatic relations with them. At worst, we can expect a comparable level of tension to organic relations with other organics which, while not great, is still an improvement.
Thank you for clarifying your thoughts. I will star with the synthetic side, as it makes the analysis easier:
This is a well put argument, but you will notice that it also brings a drawback with it; part of their enhanced comprehension of organics can be traced to the fact that apparently they can now feel. If so, then, as we know, that brings to the table a degree of potential synthetic irrationality, or at least unpredictability that didn’t existed before.
Now you will notice that this drawback could only be brought to attention because we know that, at least in the case of EDI, this feature of synthesis exists. That is one of the problems of the organic side of the equation; a complete lack of any factual example of how it works, meaning that any objection can be discarded as lacking evidence, regardless of how realistic it may be or not.
Now you will notice that I’m not making a case here that this drawback invalidates using synthesis, only that something that can be perceived as a drawback exist, and therefore it is wise to consider that others may exist. Knowing as little as we know of synthesis is not wise to assume that lack of evidence is evidence of absence.
1. Enhancements to organics: The Catalyst claims that organics fear synthetics because of the rate of their technological advancement, and that a new DNA will correct this by integrating technology into the very physical being of organics. The Catalyst also says that Shepard will be the blueprint for this change. We can reasonably assert that the synthetic enhancements present in Shepard will be given to all organics, at the very least. Likely, this tech integration will be very adaptable to change and upgrades, in order to fulfill the criteria for alleviating the organic tension of the conflict.
This is, imo, far more problematic. In the lack a direct evidence of how it works, you have assumed a number of things, based on your personal interpretation of scant facts. That is fine into itself, but the results are necessarily debatable.
Fear of synthetics and Shepard’s implants as a remedy: I honestly don’t buy it. As far as I know there is no correlation between having a synthetic hearth and the inability to fear an AI. Further, Shepard may have a few implants but those are, if we take ME2 to be correct, a means to replace damage organs, not of enhancing her abilities. (They claimed they wanted to bring her as close as she was originally, and I think that there is even a bit that claims that her abilities were not enhanced, somewhere, I may be wrong). This makes the use of comparable implants redundant in healthy individuals at best, and not something they would be trilled about.
Substitute them with true enhancements and I still doubt they would solve the issue. Imo, the problem with fearing AIs is not related to the body; is the mind.
Now, how much of this would be relevant for the common Jane/Joe Galaxy; the idea of having superior performing body is nice, in theory, but not necessarily something one healthy individual would bother to pursue. Or accept synthesis for it. The idea of changing your brain however, is likely to be considerably far less appealing, as it has the drawback of potentially changing who you are in a fundamental way.
No, he didn't order them away. He controlled their minds to take them away. That is the role of the Catalyst in relation to the Reapers, as he tells you. The Reapers never mention the Catalyst or anything controlling them. On the contrary, Sovereign asserts that the Reapers are independent nations. There is no evidence that the Reapers know of the Catalyst.
So you argue that they all felt a sudden unexplainable urge to be elsewhere? I suppose it was the same as before when they felt a sudden unexplained urge to start reaping.
Seriously, they may not mention it, but they make allusions about a purpose for their reaping, and how they believe they are “our salvation through extinction” or some such. (that fits the Catalyst arguments). Now add that to the Catalyst claims about being the collective mind of the reapers of some such. I personally find it far more believable that they know about the catalyst, and that he gives them their marching orders. That they don’t speak of him fits their massive egos; apparently they don’t like to acknowledge they are minions, not nations… Or we can assume they don’t speak of him before because the writer hadn’t created the catalyst yet.
Quote from a earlier post of mine:
And that is well and good in the first moments. Later, most smart enough Jane and Joe would want to know exactly what happened and why: What happened to the reapers and what happened to them.
How?
Ask yourself; how many in the galaxy would ask such questions? Would some of them have resources and influence? Would they use them if they have? Could the information colected spread?
Sure they'll worry about Synthesis. It's a radical change, after all. That's different from rejecting it, and it certainly has nothing to do with "old hatred" as you claimed, an argument reserved for the possibility of future conflict with the Reapers, not the magic wave that saved the galaxy.
Here’s the thing; your argument requires that everyone in the galaxy believes nearly the same thing and adopts the same attitude towards synthesis, (save for exceptions like the weird lady in the corner named Cassandra, but no one listens to her anyway).
I, on the other end, assume that people being people, that a good number of them wouldn’t agree with the party line and would search for different answers, others would put different weights to the potential costs and benefits of synthesis that you put, other still would simply not forget what the Reapers did and for some reason may suspect of them being related to synthesis,(less unthinkable that you like to believe), others would not trust synthesis without knowing exactly how it works and if it is safe, others would find the very idea of synthesis revolting, and many other possible reasons.
The result?
A substantial group that, for various reasons, would not be very happy with synthesis and/or the Reapers.