5 ms·

If idiocracy (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) ever happens (or has already happened ;-), it is primarily because of

If idiocracy (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) ever happens (or has already happened ;-), it is primarily because of the "smart" set doing exactly this. I was shocked at how few of the students in my evolutionary biology graduate program were planning to have kids. Having two kids or less is the definition of unfit parents (unless you are propagating clonally).

ben_w 3y ago
Given the tech already exists for genetic screening, IVF, cloning, etc., if that scenario ever looks like[0] a real risk I'm sure we'd very quickly rehabilitate the whole "eugenics" brand. [0] Perception is everything: It's very very easy to ignore the uncomfortable bits of history, no matter how important the lesson
- reducesuffering 3y ago
  It's possible that if a current 100 IQ society doesn't notice the trend, then future 90 IQ won't notice the ever worsening, nor will the next 80 IQ...
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  Eugenics is still plenty popular to the American philosophy, just under the hood. Plenty of racism is rooted in bad ~breeding stock~ "culture"
mihaic 3y ago
The fact that this is being downvoted might be because it hits a bit too close to home for a few people here?
salawat 3y ago
Counterpoint: Humanity has to cope with these little things called ethics, morality, and empathy. While it may be the definition of evolutionary "unfitness" in the scientific sense, the ability to exercise foresight, to predict the suffering coming from one's behavior, being averse to bringing a life into the world without having a reasonable answer to the issues you can reasonably forsee, and having the will to act on said understanding are all socially desirable traits that also fly in the face of natural selection. In a conflict over livability and finite resources unrestrained growth is a losing game for everyone, guaranteed. The only variable is when.

ben_w 3y ago

Given the tech already exists for genetic screening, IVF, cloning, etc., if that scenario ever looks like[0] a real risk I'm sure we'd very quickly rehabilitate the whole "eugenics" brand. [0] Perception is everything: It's very very easy to ignore the uncomfortable bits of history, no matter how important the lesson

reducesuffering 3y ago
It's possible that if a current 100 IQ society doesn't notice the trend, then future 90 IQ won't notice the ever worsening, nor will the next 80 IQ...
mrguyorama 3y ago
Eugenics is still plenty popular to the American philosophy, just under the hood. Plenty of racism is rooted in bad ~breeding stock~ "culture"

mihaic 3y ago

The fact that this is being downvoted might be because it hits a bit too close to home for a few people here?

salawat 3y ago

Counterpoint: Humanity has to cope with these little things called ethics, morality, and empathy. While it may be the definition of evolutionary "unfitness" in the scientific sense, the ability to exercise foresight, to predict the suffering coming from one's behavior, being averse to bringing a life into the world without having a reasonable answer to the issues you can reasonably forsee, and having the will to act on said understanding are all socially desirable traits that also fly in the face of natural selection. In a conflict over livability and finite resources unrestrained growth is a losing game for everyone, guaranteed. The only variable is when.