We are now fast approaching the ability to easily insert genes into the human genome. We can cut and paste.
This will mean that defective genes causing terrible hereditary diseases such as Huntingdon’s Chorea and Haemophilia will be a thing of the past.
We can remove all those genes which give us predispositions to cancers and other illnesses.
What a boon!!
The ethical issues will kick in when we take it further than that, as I’m sure we will.
We will also have the ability to select the alleles to optimise anything we want – beauty, athleticism, intelligence or various skills.
We could, for a certain cost, be able to order a whole smorgasbord of attributes for our babies. There could be a whole generation of designed children with optimised characteristics.
Will they be free to perform in the same Olympic Games as the non-designed? To take the same exams? To enter beauty pageants?
What will governments be after in the ways of skills and attributes – fearless, strong and ruthless soldiers? Highly intelligent and loyal scientists? The perfect spies?
What about the sex industry?
Big Business?
Potential partners?
Will this treatment be available to everyone or only the rich?
What will they choose for their offspring?
Will this create a division into two distinct races?
The ramifications are endless!!
Sounds marvellous.
We could finally get rid of all these dumpy little fat people, that live on crisps and chips that over-populate all the housing schemes.
One wonders what a population designed like that might look like. They might not all be how you might imagine.
With going on 70% of the population as determined clinically obese and levels of Diabetes due to obesity going through the roof, it would appear that all the designs are in place.
Have you ever seen so many chubby, chunky looking young women in your life?
I certainly have not.
There certainly is an epidemic of obesity. It could be sorted with genetic manipulation.
Huxley anyone?
Ale – yes – good observation – Huxley plus as a reality.
I noted that Katherine Otto had a piece where she referenced her reading of Huxley’s Brave new World Revisited. Not certain when this was written….I want to say at least 30 years after the original. I recall reading it about 30 years ago myself and coming away with many of the same impressions as she shared in her piece. I find myself rather in the Neil Peart school on these things: Science, like nature, must also be tamed
Yes I tend to agree. All of science can be used for good or bad. It needs to be controlled.
by this I only mean that the ethical debates should occur before, not after. Thats in an ideal world, of course, but there it is. 🙂
I agree with that too. They also need to be enforced globally and there is the big dilemma because we are lacking in global control and enforcement. It is a big Achilles heel.