That does make sense, I was just throwing out a hypothetical (and poorly thought-out!) "carrot" that might be used to convince people to accept genetic modifica

That does make sense, I was just throwing out a hypothetical (and poorly thought-out!) "carrot" that might be used to convince people to accept genetic modifications. I don't know if any of the scenarios I've suggested are viable, honestly. Genetics is an extremely complex domain, and it isn't likely that we can create targeted effects on behavior without a host of unwanted side effects. My main concern is that if any of these things do become viable, there will be strong pressure from social planners and authorities to make them a reality. I hope that we are able to resist the temptation to revive eugenics and recast it as an engineering discipline.