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The only real problem with the GATTACA world was that not everyone got the genetic enhancements, creating an underclass. If everyone got the mods, what's the do

The only real problem with the GATTACA world was that not everyone got the genetic enhancements, creating an underclass. If everyone got the mods, what's the downside? Well, I guess Jude Law's character couldn't live with the idea of being completely engineered for winning, and still losing. But his problem seems orthogonal to widespread genetic engineering. Everyone has their ambitions thwarted at some point. It has always been a problem humans faced. Hell, maybe even that can be engineered away, by being created with low propensity for self-loathing.

emmab 9y ago
> If everyone got the mods, what's the downside? You can't get germline gene therapy if you're not a zygote.
- sqeaky 9y ago
  Yet? There is not property of physics that stop us from making the tech. It won't e in the first gen tech, but with all those 20 something geniuses coming out of college they can start working on that tech before too many generations pass.
waiquoo 9y ago
So we should eliminate all the undesirables? Or manipulate the undesirables until they are desirable? Who chooses what traits are desirable, even if they are universally applied. I'm not arguing that this isn't amazing technology that could potentially cure a lot of disabling diseases, that possibility is very exciting. I am just stating that there are some tricky ethical dilemmas involved.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 9y ago
  We're already doing this. In Iceland, 85% of prospective parents who receive prenatal testing and discover that their children will have Down's Syndrome choose to terminate the pregnancy. Tay Sachs disease, a condition that afflicts ashekenazi jews, has been eradicated due to abortion upon diagnosis and carrier screening tests for couples that determines their "genetic suitability" I don't understand peole who are fearful of the elimination of genetic diseases that cause. The majority of articles I read on this subject are littered with lines such as these: "Deciding what sorts of lives are worth living brings us disturbingly close to the bygone era of eugenics, when only the “right” sorts of people were supposed to procreate." It's not crazy to think that parents do not want to have to spend extra resources on education and basically support their child not only until their death, but having to arrange for their offspring's care after they perish. I would like to see these people who think along these lines adopt Down's Syndrome children if they think it is so important. Perhaps if prospective parents know that there is someone willing to take care of their disabled children, more of them may go through with the pregnancy. Also, if diseases like these end up offering some sort of survival advantage in a future scenario, we still have the genetic data to recreate the condition. it's not like Down's Syndrome or other genetic diseases are going to completely disappear. Also, there will doubtlessly be groups of people who for religious reasons or otherwise will elect not to get treatment Does anyone regret the virtual elimination of polio or smallpox?
- concede_pluto 9y ago
  There's a huge difference between not conceiving people and eliminating the ones already here.
thinkcontext 9y ago
Since germline manipulation requires IVF its likely to remain inaccessible for all but the rich for quite some time.
j9461701 9y ago
Everyone was offered the enhancements, but the protagonist's parents refused them because they were reactionary luddites. Then when their son was born, not only was he un-enhanced, but he had a severe heart defect that would probably kill him by 30. The parents are the bad guys in this scenario, not the society that offered them the tools to fix their kid and were refused. It's like when modern parents refuse to vaccinate their children - if that kid gets Polio and is crippled for life, that doesn't mean we should abandon vaccinations because we're creating "an unvaccinated underclass". It just means that kid's parents were stupid and ruined their son's life. >Well, I guess Jude Law's character couldn't live with the idea of being completely engineered for winning, and still losing. Jude Law's character illustrates one of the flaws the movie has: It was made in the '90s, when our understanding of the power and scope of the influence of genetics was quite primitive. A genetically enhanced person would probably not only be a beautiful genius, but also highly resistant to depression, anxiety, mental illness and even low self-esteem.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  Is it made clear how much the screening costs (there was no enhancement in the movie, just screening)? The scene where they read out Vincent's future life sure makes it sound like the story considers mental health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRpQMW77T_o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRpQMW77T_o

emmab 9y ago

> If everyone got the mods, what's the downside? You can't get germline gene therapy if you're not a zygote.

sqeaky 9y ago
Yet? There is not property of physics that stop us from making the tech. It won't e in the first gen tech, but with all those 20 something geniuses coming out of college they can start working on that tech before too many generations pass.

waiquoo 9y ago

So we should eliminate all the undesirables? Or manipulate the undesirables until they are desirable? Who chooses what traits are desirable, even if they are universally applied. I'm not arguing that this isn't amazing technology that could potentially cure a lot of disabling diseases, that possibility is very exciting. I am just stating that there are some tricky ethical dilemmas involved.

FullMtlAlcoholc 9y ago
We're already doing this. In Iceland, 85% of prospective parents who receive prenatal testing and discover that their children will have Down's Syndrome choose to terminate the pregnancy. Tay Sachs disease, a condition that afflicts ashekenazi jews, has been eradicated due to abortion upon diagnosis and carrier screening tests for couples that determines their "genetic suitability" I don't understand peole who are fearful of the elimination of genetic diseases that cause. The majority of articles I read on this subject are littered with lines such as these: "Deciding what sorts of lives are worth living brings us disturbingly close to the bygone era of eugenics, when only the “right” sorts of people were supposed to procreate." It's not crazy to think that parents do not want to have to spend extra resources on education and basically support their child not only until their death, but having to arrange for their offspring's care after they perish. I would like to see these people who think along these lines adopt Down's Syndrome children if they think it is so important. Perhaps if prospective parents know that there is someone willing to take care of their disabled children, more of them may go through with the pregnancy. Also, if diseases like these end up offering some sort of survival advantage in a future scenario, we still have the genetic data to recreate the condition. it's not like Down's Syndrome or other genetic diseases are going to completely disappear. Also, there will doubtlessly be groups of people who for religious reasons or otherwise will elect not to get treatment Does anyone regret the virtual elimination of polio or smallpox?
concede_pluto 9y ago
There's a huge difference between not conceiving people and eliminating the ones already here.

thinkcontext 9y ago

Since germline manipulation requires IVF its likely to remain inaccessible for all but the rich for quite some time.

j9461701 9y ago

Everyone was offered the enhancements, but the protagonist's parents refused them because they were reactionary luddites. Then when their son was born, not only was he un-enhanced, but he had a severe heart defect that would probably kill him by 30. The parents are the bad guys in this scenario, not the society that offered them the tools to fix their kid and were refused. It's like when modern parents refuse to vaccinate their children - if that kid gets Polio and is crippled for life, that doesn't mean we should abandon vaccinations because we're creating "an unvaccinated underclass". It just means that kid's parents were stupid and ruined their son's life. >Well, I guess Jude Law's character couldn't live with the idea of being completely engineered for winning, and still losing. Jude Law's character illustrates one of the flaws the movie has: It was made in the '90s, when our understanding of the power and scope of the influence of genetics was quite primitive. A genetically enhanced person would probably not only be a beautiful genius, but also highly resistant to depression, anxiety, mental illness and even low self-esteem.

maxerickson 9y ago
Is it made clear how much the screening costs (there was no enhancement in the movie, just screening)? The scene where they read out Vincent's future life sure makes it sound like the story considers mental health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRpQMW77T_o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRpQMW77T_o