The Canadian entrepreneur has always pushed the boundaries of gene editing, once attempting to turn horses into unicorns. Now she is set on modifying human embryos – something her controversial ex-husband was jailed for doing
As the world is right now, we live is “gattaca-lite”. Your success in life depends on genetical characteristics that you got at conception by pure luck. You can’t (or less likely to with the same amount of effort) become a pilot with poor vision, a musician with serious disorder of hearing, a scientist or engineer with learning difficulties, an actor with some forms of autism. Parental wealth and health also have impact on your congenital stats.
If anything, genetic intervention will make the society more equal. Yes, it would be nice if every parent would have access to this for free, and current influence of bad genetics would be eliminated, but even if in first years of this tech being developed only kids of rich will be enhanced, this advantage will not be more or less deserved than random chance we currently have.
Personally speaking as an agnostic person it disturbs me we are so quick to decide we will play God without having a long serious adult conversation about if we should play God.
Pragmatically I agree it’s going to happen because I know humanity too well but that said it’s not something I would ever personally partake in at least at this current point in time.
There are many ways to stop this.
There is no way this wouldn’t devolve into gattaca. This is just eugenics fornrich people.
As the world is right now, we live is “gattaca-lite”. Your success in life depends on genetical characteristics that you got at conception by pure luck. You can’t (or less likely to with the same amount of effort) become a pilot with poor vision, a musician with serious disorder of hearing, a scientist or engineer with learning difficulties, an actor with some forms of autism. Parental wealth and health also have impact on your congenital stats.
If anything, genetic intervention will make the society more equal. Yes, it would be nice if every parent would have access to this for free, and current influence of bad genetics would be eliminated, but even if in first years of this tech being developed only kids of rich will be enhanced, this advantage will not be more or less deserved than random chance we currently have.
Except there’s not. What are you gonna do about a third country allowing it and letting people abroad do it there?
It is eugenics for rich people. But with research it could be eugenics for everyone.
Personally, I’m not sure where i stand yet.
With time it will be eugenics for everyone (left)
Personally speaking as an agnostic person it disturbs me we are so quick to decide we will play God without having a long serious adult conversation about if we should play God.
Pragmatically I agree it’s going to happen because I know humanity too well but that said it’s not something I would ever personally partake in at least at this current point in time.