Eugenics

I am

for Eugenics	63.6%	[ 14 ]
against Eugenics	36.4%	[ 8 ]
Total Votes:			[ 22 ]

[Euphoric XTC]

Being able to mess with genes and DNA to have a superior or ideal baby/fetus with specific genes, e.g. blue eyes, blond hair/ green eyes, dark skin/ muscular and healthy/

SO:

Question, what do you think about eugenics? Should it be illegal/legal? If it's legal, how should it be controlled/supervised? Any specific laws???


I think it's pretty cool since you can help your children be more healthier, but I don't like how it messes with nature. Seems pretty taboo.

[Ringoringa]

I don't believe in mandatory eugenics for whatever reason, as these things tend to go very quickly from "only people who risk giving their children horrible diseases or disorders" to "let's sterilize all Muslims because ******** 'em."

That said, I think it's incredibly selfish to have biological children if you know there's a high risk of passing along something horrible to them. I, myself, will never voluntarily have kids because of my paranoia and anxiety issues, both of which I inherited from my issue-ridden dad. (I can only pray that by being aware of the behavioral problems plaguing him, I can avoid them myself. gonk )

[Gonewiththewend246]

Ringoringa

I don't believe in mandatory eugenics for whatever reason, as these things tend to go very quickly from "only people who risk giving their children horrible diseases or disorders" to "let's sterilize all Muslims because ******** 'em."

That said, I think it's incredibly selfish to have biological children if you know there's a high risk of passing along something horrible to them. I, myself, will never voluntarily have kids because of my paranoia and anxiety issues, both of which I inherited from my issue-ridden dad. (I can only pray that by being aware of the behavioral problems plaguing him, I can avoid them myself. gonk )

I think it's fascinating we as humans can do these sort of things. Hitler would have been so proud. So you're right it can get ugly quick.
But you shouldn't be afraid of having children for fear of passing on certain qualities sad I hope you'll change your mind one day.

[DS43]

in my oppinion Eugenics would be a good idea, encourage people to mate with healthy individuals to possibly eliminate genetic diseases. However there is a problem with the current state of the world, so many wars and folks breaking up left and right, even if the kid was healthy they could still get messed up when the parents divorce.

[The Half-Satyr]

Eugenics are praticed nowadays. But it's not in a Genetic Way, and it'll remain a taboo until the State Government Aproves it legal. Genetic counseling is a type of Eugenics where it is calculated any risk of a child acquire any risky gene (cancer, mental deceases, and much others). And there is no warranty that Eugenics in genetic levels are being praticed under the sheets also.

I'm okay with the pratice of Eugenics. Just because like anything produced by the sciences are tools in the right hands. This don't mean that a tool can suddenly become a weapon too. But Science will not stop using any convenient skill just because of conflits with the moral, as long there is some Ethic during the process.

[marshmallowcreampie]

Eugenics fails from both a moral and a biological perspective. Moral reasons are obvious. Biological perspective, it decreases genetic diversity and that's a bad thing. ESPECIALLY when your eugenics are based in superficial features. Even if you take out people with minor health issues, you're reducing the gene pool and it may not necessarily be a good thing. (doesn't having a certain type of sickle cell anemia make you immune to malaria? )

[Suicidesoldier#1]

That's not eugenics, eugenics is specifically controlling hereditary factors, but I think it's pointless.

At most you can control cosmetic factors; I'd rather have cyborg stuff, to be super strong and see through walls and stuff, so let's focus on that.


Eugenics is a waste of time regardless of being immoral and stupid.

Immortality, super strength, this will likely be achieved by external factors, like nanobots, pills and cyborg prosthetics.

[Major Lima Charlie]

Someone needs some Ethan Hawke in their life.

[AvenirLegacy]

Playing with genetics can be summed up as such; Playing. While many, many good things can, and most likely has come of it, as stated before, it can turn ugly. The quest to better our children is a great motivator, as is the idea of curing a plethora of maladies. I think so long as we maintain our good intentions, we can easily overcome negative obstacles through foresight. Even fiction can teach us things that would, in the conceptual sense, be outright negative. From forced sterilization to enhancing a child's genes simply to make them attractive. If we focus on better health, rather than quickly jumping to ascetics then I think we'll be in the clear for a while.

[Makto txan palulukan]

I believe there are both pros and cons, while you can avoid child suffering due to genetic diseases I think we're kind of tempting fate here.

[Avgvsto]

I always thought stem cell research seemed vampiristic. Before mentioning, you might want to mind the the fact that I don't care to much about relevance.

[Ratttking]

marshmallowcreampie

Eugenics fails from both a moral and a biological perspective. Moral reasons are obvious. Biological perspective, it decreases genetic diversity and that's a bad thing. ESPECIALLY when your eugenics are based in superficial features. Even if you take out people with minor health issues, you're reducing the gene pool and it may not necessarily be a good thing. (doesn't having a certain type of sickle cell anemia make you immune to malaria? )

Immune? No, not in the least.

Quote:

The protective effect of sickle cell trait does not apply to people with sickle cell disease; in fact, they are uniquely vulnerable to malaria, since the most common cause of painful crises in malarial countries is infection with malaria. It has therefore been recommended that people with sickle cell disease living in malarial countries should receive anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis for life

Wiki

What are these "obvious" moral reasons of which you speak?

[Avgvsto]

I guess i really don't know enough about eugenics but this seems pretty close to something you were talking about.

[My Dog Mr. Kitty]

I see nothing wrong with it at all

I see it as another way that science can help to better life for humans, by modifying life itself

[Fox Pascal]

Let's all look up Victorian era Eugenics/Social Darwinism/Galton and not on Wiki.

Eugenics has the capacity to destroy the lives of as many humans as it would help. E.g.:women who were diagnosed with 'hysteria' and were sterilized and thrown into insane asylums.

let's put this into a modern context:
I am now the head of the eugenics counsel of the world.
I hearby decree that all people who use the word "Legit" in forum posts on Gaia should be sterilized immediately as their stupidity is obvious and of no use to human kind.

You see the flaws in this I hope.