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Is it unethical? I think that before long, we won't think that cloning humans is unethical. The reason is that the moral stances start sliding when the idea bec

Is it unethical? I think that before long, we won't think that cloning humans is unethical. The reason is that the moral stances start sliding when the idea becomes more and more well known and normalized, in for example fiction.

SQueeeeeL 7y ago
There's a lot of Star Trek episodes about this, the main thing that they say is it basically automatically makes a class of expendable humans who will eventually becomes subservient.
- _jal 7y ago
  Cloning isn't a photocopier. You don't just hit print and get a bunch of adult humans with blank, docile eyes. Putting aside, um, "assembly", what makes feeding, housing, educating (at least to worker-bee levels), etc. them cheaper, easier or faster than the normal way of getting new productive humans?
0xdeadbeefbabe 7y ago
> in for example fiction So, say "clones" instead of "twins".
rtkwe 7y ago
The biggest ethical issue with cloning and genetic manipulation generally in humans is it's essentially experimenting on a human subject that can't consent and will have life long health impacts from the process.
- mattr47 7y ago
  But we could also apply that same ethical argument to an unborn baby, either genetic manipulation or abortion.
  - rtkwe 7y ago
    And abortion is an extremely touchy subject partially for that reason, the question of who gets to choose and who gets protected is kind of the core of the debate, along with when a person is made. With GE though it's less messy because there's definitely a second person at the end of a GE'd baby (that's the whole goal of doing it after all) that's completely separate from the mother/parents.
Ygg2 7y ago
From an evolutionary perspective, cloning is a great way to shoot yourself in the foot. Why would you do that to the population? The more similar genes are, the easier it is for a single pathogen to kill all those that share those genes.
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  A few clones are okay from this point of view, an army of them is not. But who cares about clones, engineered humans would be much more useful, potentially.
- perl4ever 7y ago
  Cloning has its pros and cons, that's why it exists in the natural world. An obvious advantage of cloning is that a successful variant can spread faster.

SQueeeeeL 7y ago

There's a lot of Star Trek episodes about this, the main thing that they say is it basically automatically makes a class of expendable humans who will eventually becomes subservient.

_jal 7y ago
Cloning isn't a photocopier. You don't just hit print and get a bunch of adult humans with blank, docile eyes. Putting aside, um, "assembly", what makes feeding, housing, educating (at least to worker-bee levels), etc. them cheaper, easier or faster than the normal way of getting new productive humans?

0xdeadbeefbabe 7y ago

> in for example fiction So, say "clones" instead of "twins".

rtkwe 7y ago

The biggest ethical issue with cloning and genetic manipulation generally in humans is it's essentially experimenting on a human subject that can't consent and will have life long health impacts from the process.

mattr47 7y ago
But we could also apply that same ethical argument to an unborn baby, either genetic manipulation or abortion.
- rtkwe 7y ago
  And abortion is an extremely touchy subject partially for that reason, the question of who gets to choose and who gets protected is kind of the core of the debate, along with when a person is made. With GE though it's less messy because there's definitely a second person at the end of a GE'd baby (that's the whole goal of doing it after all) that's completely separate from the mother/parents.

Ygg2 7y ago

From an evolutionary perspective, cloning is a great way to shoot yourself in the foot. Why would you do that to the population? The more similar genes are, the easier it is for a single pathogen to kill all those that share those genes.

AstralStorm 7y ago
A few clones are okay from this point of view, an army of them is not. But who cares about clones, engineered humans would be much more useful, potentially.
perl4ever 7y ago
Cloning has its pros and cons, that's why it exists in the natural world. An obvious advantage of cloning is that a successful variant can spread faster.