Posted on 09/02/2008 7:42:59 PM PDT by amchugh
I think as long as the statistical gap between genetic expression and behavior is better than say 1% we’ll always hold to the innocent-before-proven guilty principle. I’m not a big fan of biological determinism as an excuse for immorality. However, that said, it would be somewhat foolish to refuse to acknowledge that our biology can tempt us, and that there may be a possibility of taking control of our biology to help us make the moral decisions we believe are right. In other words, if I had a serial cheater gene or two, and were sorely tempted to commit adultery, and there were a pill available to mitigate that temptation, I’d be a fool not to take it. Thankfully I either don’t have the gene or have better self control than I thought (or I’m getting fat and ugly).
That election is over, but a current one is coming up with the same topic, and we might want to avoid the olddiggergay rhetoric until it is over. I’m aware that the parallel is inexact, but political reporting has a funny way of glossing over such differences.
I’m a multiple gene man...I’m an autistic , trusting,
commitphobe......
Just attended a lecture discussing the ability of genetic
analysis to predict illness...it really doesn’t work yet,
our bio. system is way too complicated for simple correlations
like the article seems to imply.
Never mind predicting human behaviour.
Maybe there’s a gene for “people who see or seek explanations in
material systems” Or a gene for people who don’t believe
all they hear, or those who do....
Or a gene for those who spend lots of time on Free Republic....
“Also, can we just go ahead and genetically engineer all the undesirable traits out of everyone? Who gets to decide the undesirable traits? Always fun to throw out questions like this.”
Indeed, some speculative or science-fiction touches these concepts, but the classic has to be Brave New World.
I do not doubt for a second that police states will, once practical, do any number of the things you mention. As far as the west goes, the UK is the forerunner.
First they came for those with the stinky fart gene, and I didn’t speak out, because really...
When they came for the genes of people who take two parking spaces in a crowded lot, I did not speak out, because those guys are jerks.
When they came for the genes of bad bowlers, I did not speak out, because my buddy was dragging down the team average.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out, because they were all pissed that I parodied Pastor Martin Niemöller.
You are right about that, but it is pretty clear that everyone is faced with different temptations in life.
You don’t want the zerogamy gene.
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