by manipulating the genes, we are not allowing Nature to run it's course by choosing what makes us stronger and better... the manipulation weakens the human race in the long run....
(to the point where in a thousand years from now, we'll all end up looking like the Grays....the us... of the future, and have to time travel back to abduct humans to harvest their sperm and eggs from those who had no manipulation done so the us, of the future can try to get themselves back to normal again)
While I appreciate your input, I totally disagree, and here is why.
Our ecologists today do not count domesticated and genetically engineered species as part of a species in question. They instead consider it a whole new species. For instance salmon grown on fish farms is plentiful and indistinguishable from normal natural salmon, but they do grow faster and are hardier. We can grow as many as are needed, but ecologists refuse to count them among the number of salmon alive and so when the discussion of salmon population arises, salmon is constantly on the downward trend despite their being huge numbers of salmon. The long and short of it all is that the good news about genetic engineering is seldom repeated to people. We come away with this Frankenstein mythology that defies actual facts.
Genetically Modified Salmon: Changing The Future
Now lets look at human populations improving or not by genetic engineering vrs natural selection. We can improve humanity to the point that we become virtually immortal, and the opponents make similar arguments that the Earth has too many humans already and we need to die off, we could be introducing new mutations without knowing it, Nature does it better, etc. None of which applies directly to the specific individual who chooses to undergo the procedure or not, and if the government tries to quell it, they make things worse by losing all oversight and control as people go to the black market to get the procedures instead.
I would have the procedure done. I would do everything I can to compel my wife to have it done also. I do not want to live without her and I can be selfish that way, believe me.
So we have the following factoids to consider;
1) it is not an option really for the government to try to suppress this medical tech, and they cant really even if they wanted to. So they should control and monitor it instead
2) It is an improvement on us and totally voluntary. To be able to choose such things is a hallmark of having a free society.
3) The genetic "damage" is purely speculative and completely short on any real facts since it has not yet become a realistic option for anyone.
This thing is going to happen Care4all; I am just trying to understand the negative reactions to it.
I think I would like being an omniscient immortal.
