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>But genes or not, I brought it up as an example of something that we're clearly NOT comfortable removing (even if we could) Why are "we" clearly not comfortab

by afafsd 12y ago

>But genes or not, I brought it up as an example of something that we're clearly NOT comfortable removing (even if we could) Why are "we" clearly not comfortable with that? Indeed, if "we" are all uncomfortable with that then we needn't worry about anyone doing it. You seem to be worried that some people are going to want to specify non-gay children but think they ought to have them anyway. For some reason. On the other hand I admit it might make me queasy to think of parents deliberately engineering their children to be gay. As in "Oh honey, let's make our third child gay, it'll be fun!"

lutusp 12y ago
> On the other hand I admit it might make me queasy to think of parents deliberately engineering their children to be gay. As in "Oh honey, let's make our third child gay, it'll be fun!" Yes, especially given the fact that the only reason people have children is because nature intends to replace the parents with their offspring, using rules crafted by natural selection, not the parents' tastes.
- afafsd 12y ago
  >nature intends to replace the parents with their offspring, using rules crafted by natural selection, not the parents' tastes. In fairness, sex was invented at least 1.2 billion years before parents could have possibly had "tastes". The reason we reproduce sexually rather than just churning out clones of ourselves appears to be that we're more resistant to parasites/diseases if our genes keep constantly shifting into new combinations rather than hanging around for too long looking exactly the same. This wouldn't necessarily be impacted by the parents' deliberate choice of a few specific alleles.
  - lutusp 12y ago
    > The reason we reproduce sexually rather than just churning out clones of ourselves appears to be that we're more resistant to parasites/diseases if our genes keep constantly shifting into new combinations rather than hanging around for too long looking exactly the same. That's certainly high on the list, but replacing one population with another on a regular basis is also on the list. > This wouldn't necessarily be impacted by the parents' deliberate choice of a few specific alleles. Of course it would. Evolution can be a complex topic, but there's one simple fact at the center -- nature knows more than we do. An organism's ability to survive, to prevail over other genotypes, speaks louder than any of our expressed tastes and choices. That means if parents make the wrong choices, nature will step in and correct them.
- oldmanjay 12y ago
  Nature doesn't intend. It accidentally achieves. There's no point trying to divine direction where none was given. Particularly since we are part of nature.

by afafsd 12y ago

lutusp 12y ago

> On the other hand I admit it might make me queasy to think of parents deliberately engineering their children to be gay. As in "Oh honey, let's make our third child gay, it'll be fun!" Yes, especially given the fact that the only reason people have children is because nature intends to replace the parents with their offspring, using rules crafted by natural selection, not the parents' tastes.

afafsd 12y ago
>nature intends to replace the parents with their offspring, using rules crafted by natural selection, not the parents' tastes. In fairness, sex was invented at least 1.2 billion years before parents could have possibly had "tastes". The reason we reproduce sexually rather than just churning out clones of ourselves appears to be that we're more resistant to parasites/diseases if our genes keep constantly shifting into new combinations rather than hanging around for too long looking exactly the same. This wouldn't necessarily be impacted by the parents' deliberate choice of a few specific alleles.
- lutusp 12y ago
  > The reason we reproduce sexually rather than just churning out clones of ourselves appears to be that we're more resistant to parasites/diseases if our genes keep constantly shifting into new combinations rather than hanging around for too long looking exactly the same. That's certainly high on the list, but replacing one population with another on a regular basis is also on the list. > This wouldn't necessarily be impacted by the parents' deliberate choice of a few specific alleles. Of course it would. Evolution can be a complex topic, but there's one simple fact at the center -- nature knows more than we do. An organism's ability to survive, to prevail over other genotypes, speaks louder than any of our expressed tastes and choices. That means if parents make the wrong choices, nature will step in and correct them.
oldmanjay 12y ago
Nature doesn't intend. It accidentally achieves. There's no point trying to divine direction where none was given. Particularly since we are part of nature.