Slate is running running an interesting conversation about transhumanism, and the ethics of the same, between Kyle Munkittrick, Nicholas Agar, and Brad Allenby. I urge you to read the entries so far – it’s a fascinating read. But one thing that I find interesting about the discussion is this kind of baseline assumption that humans will be capable of genetic engineering that makes people smarter, stronger, faster, healthier, longer-lived, etc.
From my perspective though, there’s a lot of logistics being handwaved away in this discussion. How, exactly, do we expect human genetic enhancement tohappen? Obviously, some types of human genetic engineering are possible. Gene therapy, for example, is promising for some genetic conditions, but it typically involves adding new cells to the body (in particular, the bone marrow). It doesn’t rewriting someone’s DNA wholesale. And frankly, rewriting an adult’s DNA from the ground up presents so many technical difficulties that I think it’s safe to say that it’s probably impossible.
Read More: http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/09/15/is-ethical-human-genetic-enhancement-possible/
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