WRONG ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT TOP DOWN GENETIC PLANNING Some of those who are against top down genetic planning of the human species are making wrong assumptions. They assume that education and engineered environment alone can neutralize human bad instincts and promote the good ones. This is a big illusion based on willful ignorance on biological facts. They cannot use as argument against the genetic design of humankind, an ignorant and psychopathic ideological eugenics like the one attempted by the Nazis and Social Darwinists as correct paradigms of a global design of peoples genomic make up. Hitler and his ideologues were ignorant about genetics ( furthermore, genetics was in its infancy at that time ), they totally misinterpreted the darwinian theory of evolution and they had a psychopathic level of ethics. Their selective criteria was based on stupid assumptions about what constitutes a superior human being and the use of the race misconcept. Transhumanism aims to improve the lives of EVERYONE who is or will be alive by using near future scientific knowledge and advanced technologies. Eugenics have been used, in the past, to falsely improve a race by using barbaric and inhumane methods like eliminating allegedly inferior individuals or preventing their reproduction. This was not based on science but on stupid and ignorant ideological beliefs. Confusing these almost OPPOSED CONCEPTS ( transhumanism and eugenics ) is enormously harmful to peoples social awareness. The notion that, the naturally occurring biological evolution based on totally unplanned and mindless random mutations, random combinations of genes, random horizontal transfer of genes between species and uncontrolled duplication and random insertion of jumping genes into the DNA -is better- than future scientifically advanced, wise and ethical planning of the human genome - is mindbogglingly stupid. We should not waste even a second of our time discussing with such handicapped minds. The alternative to top down control of the population genome would be random parents choices which usually are very irresponsible, scientifically ignorant, selfish, unwise and shallow. This alternative automatically nullifies itself. Top down design of human genome only would be correctly guided by high ethics when: a-Science accumulates an enormous knowledge about genetics, epigenetics and all other related or relevant sciences. b-A committee of the most benevolent and wise people on the planet with deep scientific knowledge on genetics, epigenetics and related sciences should decide what traits to improve and what to down modulate or even erase. Since some people are confused or misconceive what are good and bad instincts, I will copy my explanation from one of my articles: Good instincts are a set of instincts that, normally, do not only do not harm other ( non-harmful ) individuals, the global society, the human species ( and even the entire biosphere ) but also benefit them in the short or long term. Examples of good instincts are kindness, care, compassion, fairness, helpfulness, understanding, empathy, cooperation, altruism, solidarity, etc. Bad instincts are a set of instincts that, usually, are harmful and dangerous to other individuals, to the global society and even have the potential to cause the extinction of the human species and the destruction of ecosystems. Examples of them are pathological and endless obsession for higher social status, power and domination; belligerent and destructive tribalism; excessive selfishness; greed; deception; parasitic intra-species exploitation; malevolent manipulation; envy; dishonest or destructive competition; malicious gossip; denigration; slandering; betrayal, sick rivalry; venomous intrigue; evil conspiracy; oppression; sadism; barbarism; cruelty; torturing; murdering and so on. These definitions are not complete or deeply elaborated but they are fairly operational in the usual scope of my writings. So, they may pass through future successive improvements. c- A future very advanced AI that has a vast scientific knowledge ( impossible to be accumulated in the human limited brain ) and an enormous understanding of the complex interactions between genes themselves, genes and their controlling mechanisms ( including epigenetic controls ), genes and the traits/dispositions they influence and genes and the natural and cultural environments - should guide and advise the planning of the creation of humans without genetic diseases/defects, without dispositions for contagious diseases and without nasty destructive instincts. Furthermore, the advanced AI system should advise on how to greatly augment the most noble and powerful of human intelligences: creativity, intuition and flawless logical reasoning. It also should do the same regarding to all other forms of conscious and non-conscious intelligences and mental capabilities of the human brain. d- A vast computerized and distributed data bank system should store repeated copies of the original, as well of the successive posterior upgraded genomes of each person in case of some reversal to a previous design is needed. e-These augmentations of the human genome should be uniform in the population in order to be democratic and just. However, less relevant traits like external appearance ( skin, hair and eyes color, etc ) and patterns of beauty could be variable. The major histocompatibility complex that gives immunity to different contagious diseases should be even more variable in terms of polygenicity and polymorphicity than the naturally occurring. However, a definitive solution against contagious diseases through nanotechnology and synthetic biology would be even better. A global society with truly equal and highly creative and rational individuals, lack of oppressive hierarchy of dominance, lack of parasitic exploitation of humans, lack of classes system and lack of scarcity of basic survival resources would create a true democracy and perhaps even abolish the state. NOTES: a) I do not have time to discuss with the usual objectors of these ideas or give further explanations because I am writing books about this and other matters. b) Obviously, this matter was not exhausted by this article and will be vastly expanded in a book that I am writing. Efstratios Filippidis
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 18:23:19 +0000
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