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Moral Debate: Procedure Risks Making Monkeys More Humanlike
LiveScience ^
| 14 July 2005
| Robert Roy Britt
Posted on 07/14/2005 7:57:51 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
The insertion of human stem cells into monkey brains runs a "real risk" of altering the animals' abilities in ways that might make them more like us, scientists said today.
A panel of 22 experts -- including primatologists, stem cell researchers, lawyers and philosophers -- debated the possible consequences of the technique for more than a year.
While the group agrees it is "unlikely that grafting human stem cells into the brains of non-human primates would alter the animals' abilities in morally relevant ways," the members "also felt strongly that the risk of doing so is real and too ethically important to ignore."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: brain; experimentation; humanity; intelligence; monkeys2humans; personhood; primates; stemcells; transplants
Our adolescent Star Trek debates about what is a "person" are about to jump into the real world. We figure we know that ulcans, Romulans and Klingons possess "personhood" because --- why? Because they can reason and communicate? Because they can love, and fear, and choose? Because they are morally responsible for their actions due to the exercise of reason and self-consciousness? Then what about chimps operating with human brain cells?
Class, discuss.
To: Mrs. Don-o
Like The Island of Doctor Moro (sp?).
"Are we not men?"
Creepy.
To: Mrs. Don-o
It would seem to me that a primate that became self-aware, might find his world at once a very frusting place to live. Not fitting in with humans or his own kind, it might be a very cruel reality. I am not convinced this would be the outcome if 'some' human cells were cloned in. When our knowledge increases a bit more, it might be.
3
posted on
07/14/2005 8:06:25 PM PDT
by
DoughtyOne
(US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
To: Mrs. Don-o
Reparations, I smell reparations in the future.
4
posted on
07/14/2005 8:08:38 PM PDT
by
cripplecreek
(If a democrats lips are moving, they're lying.)
To: Mrs. Don-o
I hope they wont be use as suicide bombers...
neither be converted to Islam...
5
posted on
07/14/2005 8:08:51 PM PDT
by
ChristianDefender
(Expand Gitmo... build another kind in North Pole...)
To: Mrs. Don-o
I don't really see what's so bad about giving apes more intelligence. Well, except we already know how this story ends:
6
posted on
07/14/2005 8:10:28 PM PDT
by
AntiGuv
(™)
To: AntiGuv
7
posted on
07/14/2005 8:12:28 PM PDT
by
JennysCool
(Be good, and you will be lonesome. - Mark Twain)
To: Mrs. Don-o
There's the case against stem cell research. This can only lead to more Democrats.
8
posted on
07/14/2005 8:13:37 PM PDT
by
Ukiapah Heep
(Shoes for Industry!)
Pretty soon monkeys will be running for Congress ...
... and winning ...
(hell, if people will elect Henry Waxman, any primate's got a shot.)
9
posted on
07/14/2005 8:15:48 PM PDT
by
jayhorn
(when i hit the drum, you shake the booty.)
To: jayhorn
Hahahahaha... love your pic
10
posted on
07/14/2005 8:38:13 PM PDT
by
ChristianDefender
(Expand Gitmo... build another kind in North Pole...)
To: Mrs. Don-o
This can't be good
11
posted on
07/14/2005 8:42:30 PM PDT
by
Oztrich Boy
(God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. . - Voltaire)
To: Mrs. Don-o
Anybody remember the Heinlein story, "Jerry Was a Man"?
I don't think creating a new class of intelligent anthropoids is a good idea. If they are self-aware enough to realize that they are captives and what that really means ... then they would in effect be slaves. That was outlawed a few years ago, as I recall.
12
posted on
07/14/2005 8:47:01 PM PDT
by
Hetty_Fauxvert
(Kelo must GO!! ..... http://sonoma-moderate.blogspot.com/)
To: Mrs. Don-o
13
posted on
07/14/2005 9:20:52 PM PDT
by
dsc
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