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I appreciate that, and also appreciate that absolutely nobody has the ability to understand the complete workings of a modern computer -- from the OS to the ass
by gptgpp 4y ago
I appreciate that, and also appreciate that absolutely nobody has the ability to understand the complete workings of a modern computer -- from the OS to the assembly, to the micro-architecture of the silicon, memory, networking, etc.
Even just having an expert level in any one of those pieces is a serious undertaking.
Similarly, albeit to a vastly greater degree, nobody entirely understands the multitude of cellular machinery, their interactions, their chemical processes, or encoding, in any species. Even 50% in a single organism is probably lifetimes away.
So yeah, biohackers are equal parts arrogant, reckless, and stupid... Life should be given appropriate respect, and it's hard to see how "DIY bioengineering" doesn't spit in the face of that.
Yet I would hate to see a future where people are barred from their own physiology, their own code. Removing your right to mess with your own life just seems authoritarian and oppressive to me, at the most fundamental level.
Editing OTHER people's genome should be highly regulated, as well as anything that has the potential to reproduce outside a controlled environment. This of course includes microbes within your own body, viral infections, gut bacteria, etc.
But I think people not being able to edit their own code is horrifically dystopian. Should probably be a requirement that you also have your reproductive rights removed too though, since your descendants wouldn't have a say.
- arrosenberg 4y ago> But I think people not being able to edit their own code is horrifically dystopian. Should probably be a requirement that you also have your reproductive rights removed too though, since your descendants wouldn't have a say. This is a hysterical overreaction to what I said. First of all, no one is stopping you for editing your own code - you can stand out in the sun all day and pick up point mutations until they kill you. Go to the gym, and your body will start upregulating certain protein factors to repair muscle. Change your diet and your gut microbiome will change. If you can find some radioactive rocks, you can really go to town! No one is stopping you. What I am saying is that you are so grossly underinformed about the complexity of the genome and human biochemistry, that to even compare it to computer architecture can only be described as arrogance. People who alter their genomes in any measurable way will mostly suffer greatly and die a painful death, so yeah, it should probably be regulated to professionals for the foreseeable future. > Editing OTHER people's genome should be highly regulated, as well as anything that has the potential to reproduce outside a controlled environment. This of course includes microbes within your own body, viral infections, gut bacteria, etc. What happens if a virus picks up your mutation and spreads it throughout the population?