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Time to embrace genetic engineering in humans.
by astrofinch 16y ago
Time to embrace genetic engineering in humans.
- tokenadult 16y agoWhat do you mean by that, exactly?
- parfe 16y agoEugenics with a better name. With `modified' humans comes new prejudice. The movie Gattaca has it nailed.
- zoomzoom 16y agoHonestly, how can we pretend that we have a choice in the matter at this point? It is a matter of how we deal with the responsibility that technology forces on us. Even if the US could outlaw reproductive manipulation, some significant percent of humans will explore the problem. We shouldnt't just say that it is eugenics, because that just means we are calling it genocide with a better name.
- kiba 16y agoWe could merge ourselves with machines.
- nradov 16y agoIt is the height of hubris to presume that genetic engineering can produce better results than billions of years of evolution. Tweak our genes to improve our abilities in one area and you'll end up with unintended problems in another area. Hypothetically, would you take a 20% improvement in intelligence if it came with a 50% risk of schizophrenia? Almost all of the genetic engineering done so far has been targeted toward a single goal: improving the productivity of domesticated plants and animals for agriculture. And while it has been successful in increasing food production, it has also produced breeds / strains that that are incapable of surviving without humans. There is no free lunch in genetic engineering.
- roel_v 16y agoThe 50% with the schizophrenia will die or be locked up, and the rest will be smarter. So as a whole the species will become better with each iteration. Evolutionary selection will still march on, the source of improvements (natural variation or bio=engineered) is irrelevant.
- jodrellblank 16y agoI suppose it's the height of hubris to suggest cochlear implants might be able to improve on nature's own deafness as well?