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If genetic disease can be prevented, why not?
As for the "designer babies," that one does have some pitfalls, but think about this:
Evolution is geared to the survival of the species, period. It doesn't care how intelligent the species becomes, only in how well the individuals pass on their DNA.
The more intelligent may not be so good at having lots of babies, being involved in careers and so on, which bodes ill for the collective future intelligence of the human race.
But, if we could control out own evolution, perhaps we just might eventually become a species worthy of the name homo sapiens sapiens.
If we can avoid some of those pitfalls along the way, that is.
Heya DH? :2wave: So then what about the creation of Breeding stock? What other Ethical concerns do you see?
No, FFS.
Cure disease, fine, but they're talking about completely messing with the creation of humans. Nothing good can come of this.....
(yes, knee jerk reaction, which I don't normally do)
Oh, there are lots of them. Whenever humans try to play god, they generally mess it up royally.
Producing a "breeding stock", ala Brave New World,
Producing an army of super soldiers,
Producing people bred to be servants,
Lots of things can go wrong, and probably would.
Even so, if we did it right, couldn't we tweak evolution just a bit and produce smarter people, perhaps some less apt to fall into the pitfalls?
or is that just too Polyannish?
I think Mans nature then steps in.....like you said. Thinking he can play God. We have been down this road before with Super Soldier. Then it will be throw caution to the 4 winds.
Create that Human that is faster, stronger, smarter, and we could be looking at the Ole Star Trek Scenario with Khan. The Superior Human Being. Wherein one possibility would be they would know being Superior to all. Would leave them not looking at to much of a Democracy.
Moreover what does this then leave open for disputes between not two parents. But 3!
I hadn't thought of that.
What might the divorce rate be if three people had to get along? Imagine the custody battles, particularly if the kids really are smarter than the parents. We could have emancipated 12 year olds.
Yeah, I could see the Courts getting bogged down even more. 3 parents going for Custody and making decisions for the Child. Moreover then what happens if these genetically engineered kids cause some incurable disease to come about. Maybe that just affects others stemming from them.
Sounds like a plot for a bad science fiction movie: Create super humans, who then invent a disease that doesn't affect them and wipe out the rest of humanity. Too late, they discover a fatal flaw in the improved DNA, and then regress to the level of Australopithecus and start the whole evolution of the human race over again.
Yes, a very bad science fiction movie.
In 2008 the UK voted into law the Human Fertilisation Embryology Act, which allows the creation of chimeras. All sorts of adventures await in this brave new world.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Transgenic mice are already used for research, some with human genes inserted into their DNA.
Transgenic Animals
Is a human/non human combination possible? probably. Will someone create one? Wait and see.
There will always be someone who thinks that can create a superior being... what was that movie? Island of Dr. Moreau?
Kiddos for the Gattaca reference - you beat me to it!Imagine one day it will be like the movie Gattacca
But given the choice wouldn't you take measures to stop your child developing cancer,autism,huntingtons disease etc if you had the power? It's not much different to giving someone a vaccine just this ones for hereditary diseases.
Already kinda' sorta' done in the Star Trek: Next Generation episode Unnatural Selection (see below). The genetic engineering was done on an isolated world with just a research colony, so no local population or scary mass deaths involved. Just a typical Star Trek "What If?" You've got to love their morality plays!Sounds like a plot for a bad science fiction movie: Create super humans, who then invent a disease that doesn't affect them and wipe out the rest of humanity. Too late, they discover a fatal flaw in the improved DNA, and then regress to the level of Australopithecus and start the whole evolution of the human race over again.
Yes, a very bad science fiction movie.
That's fitting since they also created Dolly.Britain is planning to become the first country in the world to offer controversial "three-parent" fertility treatments to families who want to avoid passing on incurable diseases to their children.
That's fitting since they also created Dolly.
I think the gene-E (LOL!) is already out of the bottle, though this could help make up for the centuries of non-natural selection we've undergone. My main concern is with the immune system. There are so many ways we can screw the pooch on that one it does concern me a lot. Many genetic diseases, like sickle cell and diabetes, also have their positive sides in various environments, which is obvious or they wouldn't be as predominant as they are. People with only one "sickle cell" gene are basically immune to malaria. Diabetics tend to survive famines.
The other thing that concerns me is our current understanding of genetics and the human genome. We really don't know what's going on there as yet. We've got several theories, and some relatively new ones that have been found wrong, so I can only hope we investigate and take it slow instead of just jumping into the deep end as we so often do.
:2wave: MMC.Heya MOS. :2wave: I agree with all you said there. Also they will have to look at how this plays out legally for all 3 parents. Especially if disputes arise.
Imagine one day it will be like the movie Gattacca
But given the choice wouldn't you take measures to stop your child developing cancer,autism,huntingtons disease etc if you had the power? It's not much different to giving someone a vaccine just this ones for hereditary diseases.
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