Being pro-choice but anti-eugenics is contradictory

Of course it is possible, but it decreases the probability.

I think you believe it is unreliable because you don’t want it to be reliable. Perhaps there is something about the idea that makes you uncomfortable. You can criticize the idea as much as you want, but I don’t think there has ever been an attempt to create a large scale eugenics movement. And I am talking about real eugenics, not the silly experiments that were performed by the Nazis. A eugenics movement in the 21st century would involve various things like gene therapy, germ-line genetic engineering, selective breeding, and cultural change. I wrote a long post about the things that I would like to see during a eugenics movement. My ideas are not perfect, but they don’t involve any unethical things like forced abortions or sterilizations.

 

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The idea does not pose a discomfort to me personally. I just don't think it's reliable. If you look at most scientific evidence that is presented before something is tried on people it's tried on animals. Reputable breeders of purebred animals are doing sort of a eugenics program. There are tests that can be preformed on breeding stock both genetic testing as well as looking over the animals to be sure the hips aren't displastic or there is no cancer in the lines and the like. Yet even with all of that testing there can still be things that can go wrong. I think that we may learn how to turn genes off and on and learn to cure or adequatly treat disease but I don't think nature can be controlled that easily as to have eugenics produce the perfect human. There will always be throwbacks. It would be brilliant if it did work and under the right conditions I see no harm in trying. I just don't put too much faith in the idea. If you can't do it with a dog I doubt it'll work on humans.

 

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