file.newsgroup.med.58860 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected] (Chris Schaeffer)
Subject: Re: Eugenics
In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Gordon Banks) writes:
>Probably within 50 years, a new type of eugenics will be possible.
>[...should] we do this? Should we make a race of disease-free, long-lived,
>Arnold Schwartzenegger-muscled, supermen? Even if we can.
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>Gordon Banks N3JXP | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
>[email protected] | it is shameful to surrender it too soon."
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two thoughts.
- I think that psychologically it will be easier for the next
generation to accept genetic manipulation. It seems that people frown
upon 'messing with Nature', ignoring our eons-old practice of doing just that.
Any new human intervention is 'arrogance and hubris' and manipulation
we routinely do is 'natural' and certainly 'not a big deal'.
- Most interesting human traits will probably be massively
polygenetic and be full of trade-offs. In addition, without a positive
social environment for the cultivation of genetic gifts, having them won't
be the advantage it's made out to be. Some people will certainly pursue it
as if it is the Grail, but we know how most of those quests turn out.
Chris Schaeffer