Improving the gene pool - unethical?
By Valce1
@Valce1 (173)
Canada
September 22, 2007 10:38am CST
Gene therapy is a long way off, but there are a number of things we can do today to improve the gene pool.
The most obvious, of course, is mandatory sterilization for people deemed unfit to produce children. [By which, I clarify, I mean just the mentally retarded/criminally insane.]
To make up for the lack of children you can use artificial insemination etc. to give children to those who can't produce them. The effects of nature and nurture are debatable, but this way we'd at least ensure a good nature for every kid.
Doesn't seem like many people would go for a plan like that though...
I don't really see why not - at the rate we're going, severe mental illnesses and the like are going to eventually affect the entire population. And a world full of psycopaths/retards is not a happy world :(
1 person likes this
2 responses
@emilywickersham (56)
• United States
23 Sep 07
Your stance assumes that negative traits are found by themselves. In fact, many mentally ill people are also creative geniuses and contribute far more to the world that "normal" people. Who is to say that a retarded person might not also carry a gene that might help us beat cancer or otherwise improve the gene pool? Would you want to be eliminated someday because someone decided that the world was too crowded and that your genes weren't good enough to make the cut? Beware of playing God.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
23 Sep 07
Hitler thought this way too. He tried all your ideas on the German People. He was quite successful for a while. He killed the Jews because he thought Germans were a superior Race. Perhaps you should do some research on Adolf Hitler's Germany.
You might learn a few important things that would change your Life. Hitler did, and he's never been the same since!(Heil Hitler!)
@Valce1 (173)
• Canada
24 Sep 07
lol, I was wondering how long it would take for Godwin's rule to kick in here :p
But yeah, gene therapy isn't related to the Holocaust... The idea is to slowly change people into something better (on an objective point of view, i.e. longer lifespans, fewer diseases etc.) not to discriminate based on something as trivial as race and try to enact immediate change by killing everybody you don't like.
The latter is just a recipe for disaster :(
