If in the future, we developed advanced forms of germ-line therapy that could speed up the process of evolution, and all forms were legalized in most countries, on a scale of -5-5, how ethical would you find it?
Personally I dont really see how this is eugenics (because you would still get the same degree of unfit individuals but just speeded up) and how it would be unethical. Just the fact the you would never know for certain if a long-term defect could arise to risk allowing it into the populace.
Yeah, I agree. Nothing would actually change other than just being speeded up. What would the gain be in that??? Baron Max
The problem is not in the process, but in the application. Eugenics degrades man to the level of animals in most situations.
Eugenics isn't so much about speeding up evolution. Eugenics is about compensating for the lack of influence natural selection has on modern societies. In low tech societies, only the best are successful and survive long enough to propagate their genes. People who have good genes are physically robust, intelligent, physically healthy and are good at cooperating with people. If we can put these qualities back into our populations it might not be so hard to understand how to answer your question, "Would would the gain be in that???" What could be gained by physically healthier populations? What could be gained by more intelligence populations? What could be gained by stronger populations? Lots.
Yeah I see the point now. The suggestion is for a microbe to kill off the weaker and therefor speed up our evolution that way. Oniw didn't make that clear, I assumed he meant it would speed up the mutation rate or something. Yeah that would make it eugenics of sorts.
Would central Africa be a good example of that??? Or say, China? Or India? Oh, I don't disagree with that, but how are we to do it? And ain't that the central question rather than the more obvious that you've stated? Hitler wanted to get rid of the Jews, so...? Isn't that a good example of how it ain't gonna' work? It's all well and good to talk about things like this, but if there ain't no chance in hell of it happening, ain't we just bullshitting ourselves and wasting valuable time and effort? Baron Max
Sure. China, Africa and India have lots of strong people. Unlike other peoples, Africans evolved under circumstances that didn't require a whole lot of abstract intelligence, so consequently they're not very smart. But I'm sure they evolved to be great in the traits that their environment selected for. So they may be good, but perhaps not so much in the context of the currently prevailing environmental pressures. How do you do eugenics? Well, there's a question. There are all kinds of methods. One could be for the government to pay people $1,000 to have them sterilized. It would be completely their choice. If they don't want to do it, they don't have to. But think about what it would do. Poor people all over the country would become instant thousandaires and they would instantly remove themselves from the gene pool, as well. It's completely non-invasive and effective. Then there's also embryo selection, which may be a viable thing in the coming decades. What you do is extract 100 sperm and 100 eggs from a pair of mates and combine them in vitro, to produce 100 zygotes. Then you analyze their DNA for abnormalities, genetic disorders, whatever. Then you pick the one that you want--or perhaps you just randomly pick one that is not going to be retarded or unhealthy or have any genetic disorders. There are lots of other ways to increase the fitness of populations. But it's nothing like ethnic cleansing of Darfur or Germany's Holocaust. It's nothing like that, whatsoever. China's government is already doing eugenics.
In the future we do know. I'm reading a book on it right now called "How are we evolving?" Well, I'm reading it in the future right now.
I believe that every human being on this planet deserves exactly what they get in life, regardless of whether it is pleasure or pain. Every human being that has been raped, robbed, tortured, or murdered deserved it. Every person that is suffering from a disease like cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or any other deadly disease deserves exactly what they’re getting. My beliefs have nothing to do with ethics or morals. My beliefs are all about actions and reactions. Actions that occurred from the moment of the big bang. Actions like the genetic mutations that occurred in the life forms that existed millions of years ago. Actions that were made by human beings thousands of years ago. And the decisions that are being made every second in the present by humans. When I look at murderer or rapist I don’t see evil. I see the same thing that I see when look at person suffering from a disease like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s. When I look at a human being or any other carbon based life form I see chemical reactions. I see proteins and amino acids. I believe that we have the ability to eradicate all of our genetic flaws and evolve into superior life forms, but unfortunately the majority of the people on this planet would prefer to continue living like primitive apes. We choose to continue embracing irrational cultural beliefs that are responsible for slowing down scientific progress. People that call themselves bio-ethicists choose to continue preserving our primitive traditions instead of worrying about the physical and emotional pain that people are living with. I believe that humanity has to begin fighting the only war that is worth fighting for. The War Against Our Genetic Flaws I think this world would be a better place if eugenics were a cultural tradition that was practiced by the majority of the human population. Unfortunately a large percentage of the human population believes that eugenics is unethical because the word is usually associated with the Nazis and forced sterilizations. The word “eugenics” can be described as the science of improving the human race by altering human DNA or by carefully selecting parents with good genetic traits in order to develop children that are stronger, smarter, and healthier. Hitler and his misguided scientists were not trying to improve the human race. They weren’t even trying to improve the Aryan race. They weren’t acknowledging the fact that other races had good genetic traits and predispositions that they did not possess. Any geneticist in the present could tell you that diversifying your genes increases your probability of having children with good genetic traits. The Nazis were not practicing real eugenics. They were trying to rid the world of genetic diversity. There are some members on this website that seem to enjoy having conversations about the differences between the racial groups that exist in the world. I don’t usually like to use the word “race” to describe people. I am one of those people that believes there is only one race, (The human race) but I do believe that there are obvious physical and intellectual differences amongst the so-called races in the world. I prefer to use the words “tribes” or “groups” to describe who and what we are. The human population is basically a large group of primates that is constantly creating new tribal groups within itself. The tribes can be based on religion, socio economic levels, languages, geographic locations, family bonds, physical appearances, and many other things. The problem with the word race is the fact that it can be used to describe a person’s culture or a person’s genetic traits. It is usually an inaccurate way of describing genetic traits because we are still living in world where people are using the words “white race” and “black race”. A person that happens to have blond hair and blue eyes can actually have more genetic similarities with a brown skinned brown eyed person than another so-called white person. I don’t like to use the words black or white to describe people. I believe the words are nothing more than cultural ignorance that most people in the world seem to accept. I believe that any person of African decent with brown skin should be more offended by the word black than the word nigger. There was a time in the past when the word black was used in a different context. It was just another way to call someone a degenerate. The words “black” and “white” is more about good and evil than it is about the amount of melanin in a person’s skin. The only reason why people are calling themselves black or white is because we are diurnal creatures. We have always associated the darkness or black with evil because we were bitten, stung, and killed by nocturnal creatures in the past. We have always associated the light or white with goodness because of the sun. The first gods that we worshiped were sun gods. We always looked at the sun as the giver of life. I have not been affected by the irrational cultural beliefs pertaining to race in our society. I do not see myself as black, white, Caucasian, African, Asian, Oriental, Ect. I see myself as an earthling / human being / carbon based life form. I choose to think outside box of human culture. I grew up in a multicultural environment and I never embraced any specific ethnic or religious cultures. I would like to see the creation of a tribal group that I would be proud to be a part of. I believe that the war against our genetic flaws can be fought and won by creating an elite tribal group that would raise the genetically enhanced children of the future. I would like to see the creation of a eugenics movement that could begin as a small project, and eventually become a way of life for the majority of the human population. I’m going to continue this post by describing some of the thing that I would like to see in the near future. There is more to eugenics than selective breeding and germ line genetic engineering. A person’s culture and environment plays an important role in determining how successful they will be in life. A person can have the best genetic traits and predispositions, but there is a high probability that they will be unsuccessful in the game of life if they do not receive the proper guidance and assistance during their childhood and early teenaged years. That is why I believe that a eugenics movement has to begin with a small group people getting together to create the various mission objectives of the movement. This group should be comprised of like minded individuals that are self described Transhumanists, very intelligent, or wealthy. It would be very important for the group to make sure that the genetically enhanced children are raised in a culture of science, rational thought, logic, critical thinking, and open mindedness. The real work could begin with the wealthy members using their power and influence to get more people to join the movement. The members could make advertisements for the television and the internet. They could also become involved in politics. The eugenics movement could be like a new religion. The wealthy members could also use their money to try to change the way that some people in the world think about abortions. The world is over populated with children that are being abused and neglected. Most of these children will grow up to become criminals or mindless drones, therefore I believe that the world would be a better place if most of them did not exist. Reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies would eventually reduce the poverty and crime rates around the world. I believe that it is irresponsible for people to bring a child into this world if they cannot take care of all of their own basic needs and provide their child with everything that it will need to be successful in life. The majority of men in this world are irresponsible fools that do not think about the consequences of having unprotected sex. Some men believe that they have a right or a duty to go around spreading their seed and impregnating as much women as possible. Most women believe that they have the right to bring a life into this world regardless of the situation that they’re in. In the present, when most couples are having sex they are usually not thinking about the genetic flaws that they could be passing on to their child. Creating a human being and having sex with someone that you are attracted to are two different things. I happen to be attracted to women that come in many different shapes, colors, and sizes, but there are very few women that I would want to have a child with. I would be apprehensive about having a child in any situation because I have a lot of genetic flaws. But if I were going to have a child I would be looking for a woman that possessed good genetic traits that could give my child an advantage in life. And it would also be very important that she did not possess any of the genetic flaws that I have. We have to start thinking about the human body in the same way that mechanical engineers think about the cars that they make. Life is like a race to the finish line. The finish line could represent the collective goals and desires that we all have. If anyone was in a race they would want their car to be aerodynamic and they would want to have a powerful engine under the hood. The aerodynamics of a car could be a representation of symmetry and healthy skin on a human body. A powerful engine could represent a healthy immune system and good genetic predispositions. If a person is born with bad genetic predispositions and happened to have good responsible parents that encouraged their child to use their body to its full potential it would be like an experienced driver driving a car with inadequate horsepower. But a less experienced driver could be in the same race and they could be driving a car with more horsepower. The driver with less experience could be a representation of someone that is not using his or her body to its full potential, but they happened to have good genetic predispositions. With a little bit of practice, the less experienced driver will defeat the experienced driver every time. The next step in the eugenics movement could be about the members getting together to start a project that would involve raising the children of the future. New television and internet advertisements could be made to find intelligent people that would raise the children of the future. The people that are interested in the project could be given directions to a location where they would complete a test to determine if they ‘re qualified. The minimum requirements to apply for the test could include, having a high school diploma, no previous convictions of a violent crime, an annual income of at least $50,000 USD after taxes (The number could vary depending your geographic location, and the minimum amount could also increase every year.), you would have to be self described atheist, agnostic, or Buddhist, and you would have to be between the ages of 25 – 40 for males and 25 – 35 for females. The ages could apply to biological parents. The parents that wanted to adopt a child could be 25 – 50 years old. If you met the minimum requirements you could then be given a location, a time and date where you would take the test. The test would be like an advanced version of an IQ / psychological test. The test could include things like linguistics skills, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, world history, memory skills, reaction times, and of course questions about your personality and behavior. FMRI scans could be used to record the applicant’s brain activity during some parts of the test. If you are one of the people that passed the test, an appointment could then be made for you to see a group of doctors that will give you a complete physical examination. You would be tested for your general health and fitness. Your blood could also be tested for the presence of narcotics like cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. If you tested positive for any of the drugs you should no longer be eligible to be a parent. A computer program could be used to analyze all of the information that’s was gathered from the applicants. A mathematical system could be used to give each applicant a grade. The grade system could be between 0 – 100 points. The I.Q / Psych test could represent 50% of your grade and your physical traits and genetic predispositions could represent the other half. The applicants that completed the I.Q / Psych test should have to get a minimum score of 80 out 100 (80 = 40 points) to qualify for the physical examinations and the genetic testing that would occur afterwards. The applicants should have to get a minimum score of 40 on the other part of the tests to be eligible to adopt a child. The females that have a total score between 60 and 79.9 points could be impregnated with the embryos of the applicants that scored between 80 and 100 points. The couples in the 60 – 79.9 point range could also be eligible to adopt the children of the parents in the 80 – 100 point range if both of the biological parents should die before the children reached the age of 18. The scientists that are working for the movement should be looking for all of the good genetic traits in the human population. They would be looking for people with healthy skin, symmetrical faces, people with fit muscular bodies, people with a high number of family members that had relatively healthy bodies into their 80’s and beyond, people that do not have genetic predispositions to obesity, different forms of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and finally the thing that would definitely cause some controversy, people that do not have pale skin. I believe that pale skin is a genetic flaw. (As it pertains to a person’s health and genetic adaptations for survival on this planet) It is simple logic. We are diurnal creatures. Every human being should be able to spend a short period of time under direct sunlight without suffering from severe sunburns. Perhaps some day in the future we will have nano machines in our bodies that will be able to instantly repair the damage from UV rays, but until then it is a genetic flaw to have pale skin. Having a complexion ranging from a natural tanned olive color to dark brown should get you a higher overall score. For example, the skin color section of the test could be worth 0 – 5 points. The more natural protection that you have against U.V radiation, the higher your mark will be. But you could also loose points for having some of the negative physical traits are found in some Africans with dark brown skin. For example, having dry ashy skin could take 1 - 5 points off of your score depending on the severity. The applicants that are incapable of producing enough melanin to provide some protection from the sun should have to possess many of the other good physical traits that are found in the human population to be eligible for 80 – 100 point group. All of the information that is gathered from the applicants could be used to create better humans. The scientists could try to combine all of the best genetic adaptations in the human population. They could look for the genetic traits that some Africans possess. They could look for the genetic traits that Tibetans and some Ethiopians possess. They could look for the good genetic traits that Ashkenazi Jews possess. Computer programs could be used to create the ideal skeletal structure. For example, athletes with a lower center of gravity tend to be more agile than athletes with a higher center of gravity. Just look at the average body shape of a person that does gymnastics. They tend to have a longer torso and shorter legs and arms. However, a person with this body shape can be at a disadvantage in sports like sprinting or basketball. Computer programs could be used to determine the ideal body shape that a person could have to excel at every physical activity. They could also be used to determine the ideal amount of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers that a person could have to excel in all of the physical activities that involve endurance, strength, and speed. The testing process to find the best parents could be a yearly event for the people that want to participate in the eugenics movement. Eligible couples or singles could apply every year. If you passed the tests and you were single you could have the choice of forming a relationship with another single applicant that passed the tests. You shouldn’t be eligible to be a parent if you couldn’t find someone that you were able to bond with, but you could wait until another group of applicants took the tests the following year, and you could continue your search for a mate. You could remain on a list of applicants that passed the tests for three years. If you did not find a mate during that time you should have to complete the tests again to remain on the list. You should not be allowed to take the tests again if you no longer met the minimum requirements after the three years have expired. The applicants in the 80 – 100 point range could be paid $1000 - $50,000 to donate their eggs and sperm to a eugenics clinic. A plan could be implemented to give the children the best tactical advantage that they could have in the game of life. The parents and the children could have access to the best health care free of charge. The children could have free access to the best schools in the world. Anything and everything that scientists could think of doing to make the children smarter, faster, and better than the average human should be done. The children should be trained to be soldiers in the game of life. They could go through some of the intense training that the elite soldiers in the military experience. They could also go through the intense meditation and martial arts training that Shaolin monks go through as kids in an attempt to give them more control over their bodies than the average person. An effort could also be made to prevent the children from picking up any irrational beliefs that most people have. This can include the fear of death, (the fear of pain and illness is an instinct but the fear of death is a cultural thing that we are taught to fear as children) irrational phobias, the belief in god or gods, and the concept of good and evil. (Good and evil existing as some kind of force, Satan, mysticism, Ect.) It would be very important that the children are raised to believe that good and evil are just chemical reactions that create subjective emotional experiences. All of the things that I mentioned could continue for many decades. By the time germ line genetic engineering is a safe reliable procedure, the number of people in the eugenics movement could have grown from a few hundred people to more than a million people. This new tribe should be about more than a group of people that are interested in eugenics. The group could be comprised of all of the people that I mentioned already, and ordinary citizens that are ready and willing to use science and technology to change the way that we think and live. Regular citizens could earn their membership into the tribe by helping the tribal members achieve their mission objectives. The people within the group could assist each other and make sure that everyone within the tribe has all of the privileges that a person would need to be happy. They could share their wealth and power with each other and ensure that everyone in the group has access to the best health care, education, technology, and luxuries that are available. The tribe could also use their knowledge and wealth to improve the lives of the people outside of the tribe. The creation of the elite tribe would prepare people for the technology that could exist in the future. Imagine what it would be like to live in a world nanobots, human level artificial intelligence, germ line genetic engineering, mind uploading, and memory transferals. I don’t think humanity is currently prepared for some of the things that could exist in the second half of this century. There is a high probability that we will destroy ourselves with our technology if we do not choose to find a way to be in complete control of our biology. That is what a eugenics movement should be all about. It should be all about learning how to be in complete control of the space in which we exist. (The atoms and molecules that exist in our environment and within our bodies) The war against our genetic flaws is not about discriminating against certain groups of people because of the way they look or because of their low I.Q’s. It is about looking beyond the surface of a person and seeing the human body for what it really is. It is about being in control of the chemistry of within us. Creating the ideal human being is no different than mixing the correct chemicals in a beaker to get the chemical reaction that you desire. (It is just a lot more complicated) Unfortunately most of the things that I just wrote probably wont happen. I suppose that I could try to turn some of my ideas into a reality if I should ever become wealthy, but the odds would definitely be against me. Human beings are likely to continue embracing their genetic flaws and cultural ignorance. When germ line genetic engineering is available to the few people that can afford it, there will definitely be some people that will make a conscious choice to give their children physical traits that could be considered a genetic flaw. Just look at the way that we bred dogs and cats. There are people that chose to create dogs that are strong, fast, and intelligent. And there are some people that just wanted to create something that they thought was cute. People choose to create furless cats that are vulnerable to the sun and cold weather. Humans took a beautiful animal like the wolf and they managed to create the hideous creatures that you can find here. I think humanity will continue to embrace its genetic flaws and cultural ignorance for many decades or centuries, until someone or something brings the reign of humanity to an end.
That's a good point. No one would debate this if we simply changed genes on and off, or let people design their offspring. Eugenics are only a problem because people want to choose the genes for other people, in the most brutal and hateful ways imaginable. If we want to have more intelligent babies, we can do that in a way which does not harm anyone, and which does not decrease the value of life.
Looks like you put a lot of thought into this, q11010 (or something). I think it is unethical for populations to not at least consider eugenics. If you have the means and technology to create a person who will be free of health problems and physical abnormalities, is it not immoral to create that person with that technology, instead of letting the person grow up with those problems? It's actually remarkable how much I agree with what you said, regarding that humans problems should be seen as problems that have solutions that can be made through proper engineering. Some of your ideas I think some of are a bit shortsighted,, regarding your concepts of what human traits are considered desirable--pale skin for example. I wonder why you think pale skin should be selected against. You should realize that the reason white people have pale skin is because it allows them to absorb more sunlight (seems a bit counterintuitive I know) in order to produce more vitamin D in an environment where the sun isn't as powerful as it is in Africa. So white people have white skin for a good reason, as black people have dark brown skin for good reason. In your depicted scenario these genetically superior children are going to be created to have zero health problems, excellent longevity, olive to brown colored skin and I'm going to guess that they are going to be extremely intelligent. If so, what are they going to be doing out in the sun? Are these people with IQs of 230 going to be outside raising crops?--I think you and I have vastly different conceptions about what the future is going to look like, which brings me to another point. The Singularity. It's going to take a while for people to take eugenics seriously. Once they do, it's going to take generations for that to happen. So how long is that going to take? Maybe 40 or 50 years at the earliest before we see any genetically superior humans created through genetic engineering/selective breeding. By then it will be 2046--one year past the date Ray Kurzweil predicts the singularity will take effect. It may happen before; it may happen later. But in any case the world is going to be so vastly different. The world isn't going to be for humans--or even genetically modified humans. Simply put, biology is too slow for the future. Machines are the future. You're not thinking big enough. Machines can be way more capable than any genetically modified human.
Looks like you put a lot of thought into this, q11010 (or something). I think it is unethical for populations to not at least consider eugenics. If you have the means and technology to create a person who will be free of health problems and physical abnormalities, is it not immoral to create that person with that technology, instead of letting the person grow up with those problems? It's actually remarkable how much I agree with what you said, regarding that humans problems should be seen as problems that have solutions that can be made through proper engineering. Some of your ideas I think some of are a bit shortsighted,, regarding your concepts of what human traits are considered desirable--pale skin for example. I wonder why you think pale skin should be selected against. You should realize that the reason white people have pale skin is because it allows them to absorb more sunlight (seems a bit counterintuitive I know) in order to produce more vitamin D in an environment where the sun isn't as powerful as it is in Africa. So white people have white skin for a good reason, as black people have dark brown skin for good reason. In theory, all genes are selectable right now, in 2006, it's called designer genetics, designer babies, genetic engineering. I see nothing unethical about genetic engineering, I think it's unethical to torture and abuse those who are already born, for being born say, gay, or the wrong color, or short, or fat, as if they had a choice. I think instead of bullying and punishing people for being born, we should be focused on offering solutions. If we determine that race is a disease for humanity, and that all humans should have a uniform look, or be able to select their race, why should we not be researching designer babies and solve the race issue, or the sexuality issue, or the intelligence issues, in the lab? Why should we continue to act like animals when we have the option to make rational decisions? In your depicted scenario these genetically superior children are going to be created to have zero health problems, excellent longevity, olive to brown colored skin and I'm going to guess that they are going to be extremely intelligent. If so, what are they going to be doing out in the sun? Are these people with IQs of 230 going to be outside raising crops?--I think you and I have vastly different conceptions about what the future is going to look like, which brings me to another point. The Singularity. The singularity is a possibility, but it's optimistic as hell. It's a possibility that can happen if humans want to survive far far into the future, but if human want to go extinct we will. It's going to take a while for people to take eugenics seriously. Once they do, it's going to take generations for that to happen. Eugenics are already taken seriously, but it's taken seriously by all the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Transhumanism is not taken seriously, you can call this new eugenics, it's basically about making humans better, by removing limitations. Then you have racism and old school eugenics which has nothing to do with making people better and is just about cosmetics, making humans look a certain way or another, often using brutality and other violent means, it's really not in our advantage and it's overall harmful to the whole idea of eugenics. I'm not a supporter of violent eugenics, I guess thats how I'll put it. However if people want to be able to choose their childs race, or choose their childs sexuality, or choose a certain kind of intelligence, I think it should be an option. I think designer babies are good because it's simply turning on or off genes, no one dies in the process, no one suffers, it's as harmless as vaccines are. If we decide as a collective that homosexuality, race, and low intelligence are diseases, we can treat these by simply allowing people to select straight, select white skin, select high intelligence, suddenly it's solved. So how long is that going to take? Maybe 40 or 50 years at the earliest before we see any genetically superior humans created through genetic engineering/selective breeding. Selective breeding will never work. That's why it's a stupid method. We have genetic engineering that works RIGHT NOW, you don't need selective breeding, all you need to do is activate or deactive the genes already there. If we discover how to activate and deactive genes and we seem to have done this, then it's already started, designer babies are here now, in fact some of them might already have been born. By then it will be 2046--one year past the date Ray Kurzweil predicts the singularity will take effect. It may happen before; it may happen later. But in any case the world is going to be so vastly different. The main problem is energy. The singularity can't happen because we don't have enough energy, and we don't have clean energy. The world isn't going to be for humans--or even genetically modified humans. Simply put, biology is too slow for the future. Machines are the future. You're not thinking big enough. Machines can be way more capable than any genetically modified human. You arent thinking clearly enough. If humans are to survive, humans will embrace genetic engineering, mainly because humans are unable to love themselves through natural selection, humans will likely have to resort to genetically engineering themselves to perfection. This won't affect any of us, it only affect the unborn, this is like the abortion issue or stem cell research. In the end, most people support stem cell research, most people support genetic engineering, mainly because the promises of genetic engineering for the future of humanity are more positive than negative. Higher intelligence, but also cosmetic enhancements, every man will be atheletic, every woman will be thin, there will be no more out of shape, this is what people are dying for and suffering for right now, so why not let people have babies who won't have to go through the eating disorders, the racism, or the bullying that people go through just because they were born into the wrong body? And how can more intelligence be bad? Maybe it's just what we need.
I am fully aware of the reasons why some people have pale skin. I posted an excerpt from a book that is called DNA The Secret Of Life in another thread that I started. Why should pale skin be selected against? Well, just go to a website were you can get some information about dermatology. Or use a UV light to look at the damage that the sun has done to a person with pale skin by the time they’re in their 30’s. You would also find some damage on a person with dark skin. And there are a lot of so-called white people that can develop some melanin to provide some protection for a short period of time. The pale complexions that should be selected against are on the people that can get a minor sunburn from less than 15 minutes of exposure when the UV index is very high. I don’t have pale skin and I can barely tolerate the sun’s rays on some hot summer days. I can only imagine what it must be like for some people. Perhaps the people of the future will have the ability to change their skin color at will. I don’t see any reason why advanced nanobots couldn’t be used to change the pigmentation in our skin cells. I don’t agree with most of Ray Kurzweil’s predictions. I don’t even like to use the word “singularity” because most people have different opinions about what it is. I think the ultimate life forms of the future will combine the functions of biology with digital computing and quantum computing.
No, but I'm not the only trans-humanist. Trans-humanism is popular. In fact, if you care about the fate of our species you'll likely end up being a trans-humanist if not now, when we reach about 10 billion people living in misery and you see that it's the only solution we have left. Multi-culturalism failed, that whole idea failed, and it was old anyway. It was an advanced version of seperate but equal. The trans-humanist approach basically is the medical cure, the medical solution, basically, if humanity is sick you cure it, you don't kill it, or extinct yourself. Violent Eugenics is like chopping off your arm because you have an infection and bleeding to death. It's utterly pointless, it's irrational, it's senseless, it's violent, it causes unncessary misery, and in the end, the only thing it accomplishes is extinction. If we can improve the human species without going extinct, I'm all for it. I'm not so concerned with how our species ends up looking, I think that should be optional, you should be able to choose if you have the money. I'm also not concerned with how our species deal with sexuality, once again it should be parents decision. Finally I don't think religion is wrong or bad, this should be individual decision. The only thing that matters is the overwall fate of the species itself, of the collective organism itself. Buddhists can see the whole organism, so I guess this is why he favors buddhism. Athiests I don't really agree with, because Athiest, at least the ones I've spoke with, tend to not care about the species at all or hate the species. Agnostics, well, they are in the middle, thats the majority. Decide if you care about the human species or not. If you do, then how can you protect our species from extinction, if you don't, then this conversation is beyond your understanding, or you'd likely want to outlaw stem cell research and increase global warming.
