Genetic engineering wrong?

[chamilton333]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

Please explain what else god does and does not want... it seems my antenna is broken or something. Maybe you'll let me splice into your signal?

it is clearly in the commandments. god clearly told us what he did and didnt want. it is a sin to murder, but look at hitler.

[Zythryn]

Originally Posted by chamilton333

it is clearly in the commandments. god clearly told us what he did and didnt want. it is a sin to murder, but look at hitler.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but the term 'murder' does not appear in the ten commandments. I believe it is "Thou shalt not kill".

So, do you kill insects, bacteria, what do you eat, animals?
The problem with using the writen bible as your law, is you must interpret it. So you are not following god's word, you are following someone's interpretation.

Tartanism, my apologies, I don't believe I answered your question.
Specifically I was thinking of apples. The university of Minnesota has had a program creating new varieties of apples for decades. They have created some of my favorites. Of course, then there is the genetically engineered corn that is supposed to be more resistant to bugs and such.

Mark

[Southtown]

Originally Posted by Zythryn

The problem with using the writen bible as your law, is you must interpret it. So you are not following god's word, you are following someone's interpretation.

Is that what is known as a "living document"?

[arkain101]

We are genetic engineers. When we have kids we mix DNA and give birth to a child.

There are some people that have diseases, yet they go ahead and have children which posess there genetic disease. Then feel it is wrong to perform genetic engineering the the lab, which is aimed at removing such disease.

I just heard of a recent genetic experiment which removed or altered an aging gene, nicknamed 'the grim reaper gene', in a certain type of worm. It changed the aging process in the worm and it lived 5 times its normal life span. Human Applications?

No human invented life. No human owns life or is responsible for life, except of their own. If some people want to remain living as they do and possibly die from some painful disease, that is up to them. If others want to genetically alter themselves so they live 500 years and glow in the dark, then that is also their choice.
The problem is I suppose, it is not the choice of the child that is born anything different than the natural state of human form. However it is not the ANY persons choice whether they are born or are not, whether they are born a girl or a boy, or african or america, poor or rich, sick or healthy, mentally ill or a genious, disfigured or not. There is no choice in becoming what we are, we just appear, and we are what we are, where we are, when, and how.
So it seems to be a difficult to decide what is normal, when everyone is born different out of there control. Genetic improvement is just another form of different.

I think it will happen and has to happen if we expect to survive as a species with the current population size and its growth. Things are going to need to be done to give each person an equal chance of healthy life.

[Southtown]

Originally Posted by arkain101

I think it will happen and has to happen if we expect to survive as a species with the current population size and its growth. Things are going to need to be done to give each person an equal chance of healthy life.

Assuming that each person can afford it?

[Tarantism]

zythran, im curious...what is it that they put in the apples to make them more resistant to bugs?

[Zythryn]

Tarantism, we are quickly leaving my realm of knowledge. I know that the program at the university exists (and have eaten quite a few of the resulting apples) but I don't know a lot of specifics.

My understanding is that the program started strictly as select the seeds of the apples with the attributes you want and cross-pollinate them. I believe that is still the way it works today, although I am not sure.

By repeating the process you get closer and closer to the traits you want. It is the most basic level of genetic engineering that mankind has been doing for centuries.

As for corn, I am not sure what the specifics are of the genetic engineering, anyone with more information??

Mark

[Kayra]

We are evolving and mutating.
The changes that occur at a genetic level are natural, required, and are balanced by the simple act of surviving and passing on our genes.
Our environment would determine how difficult this is, and so determine our "Standard of fitness" in order to survive.

(Speaking in generalities)
We now control our environment.
We always have unlimited food.
We are never to cold or to hot.
Clean potable water is at our fingertips.
We always have a safe place to sleep.
We have no natural predators.

Because we control our environment, and we always make it as easy for ourselves as possible, our "Standard of Fitness" to survive has dropped drastically (exceptions to this exists in third world countries). So very many people born with mutated genes today survive to adulthood, conceive children, and pass on faulty mutations to their children, that in another time would never have seen the other side of puberty. Each generation exacerbates the problem for the next one. There is no longer a check and balance to our world.

What should we do? Set up committee’s to ensure that only reasonably fit people are allowed to procreate? Who gets to decide the standard? Who sets the bar... You get to reproduce, but not you or you or you?

Now THAT would be playing god.

Our genetic standard of fitness is and will continue to deteriorate. It is inevitable so long as we control our environment.

Genetic engineering wrong? It is in fact the only hope we have for a long term future.

For the religious folk, could this be as your God intended? It seems serendipitous to me that, as we progress to the point that we are destroying ourselves (with kindness), we are in lockstep gaining the only means with which to save ourselves. If we were not meant to do this then I dare say God did not intend for us to survive at all.

[ronthepon]

I agree entirely (and vehemently) with kayra (!)

And would like to add a bit...

The human race was evolving like the rest of the world's species, when suddenly mortality rates plumetted and birth rates rose...

Because of that occurance, the human race stopped evolving according to Darwin's theory of natural selection. He is now evolving very unaturally.

We will not, can not evolve correctly now. Useless genes will be created in the human genome and we with our efforts to save the affected human, will 'morally' emancipate them and spread defective genes into the rest of the population.

This may become as much of a problem later as global warming is today(I have predicted so!!!)

If we do not want to resort to murdering people with defective genes(Whoops, my words are going too far...) or not letting them reproduce, to prevent mutations or genetic problems to become a BIG problem we gotta use genetic engineering on humans.

PS: My apologies to any I offend or seem psycopathic or insane to.

[Kayra]

Originally Posted by chamilton333

it is clearly in the commandments. god clearly told us what he did and didnt want. it is a sin to murder, but look at hitler.

As unclear as the comandments are, what if a person did not subscribe to your religion. Would it then be OK to pursue genetic engineering?