Genetic Enhancement

Genetic Enhancement

It is unlikely for us to worry about genetic enhancement is inevitable

because there is skepticism arises from three sources: futurology and

its limits, the science of behavioral genetics, and human nature

itself.

Most people agree that genetic enhancement is inevitable. However, the

technological predictions have always been wrong. We know this is true

that, for instance, the experts have predicted that by the turn of the

century we would live in domed cities, commute by jet-pack, and clean

our home with nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners wielded by robot maids.

After that, we were promised the paperless office, interactive

television, and the Internet refrigerator. Not only the fact that

these developments have not yet happened, but most of them will never

happen. From these invisible predictions, we could hardly believe if

the prediction about the "designers babies" is going to happen. The

reason why technological predictions are usually wrong is because

futurologists make prediction as current progress can be extrapolated

indefinitely. They underestimate how much has to go right for a

development to change of life, as it takes a large amount of

discoveries, with the psychological and sociological imponderables

that make people adopt some invention. This is about the same

situation of the genetic enhancement from the fact that the

development is just in initial period, but it is expected to become

truth if research proceeds on its current course. On the other hand,

futurologists tend to focus their fantasies on the benefits of a new

technology, whereas actual users weigh both the benefits and the

costs. It raises a question if people are willing to spend huge amount

of money or take the risks to have a "designer baby".

The second reason why we don't need to worry about the genetic

enhancement is inevitable is because of the science of behavioral

genetics is questionable. If the technology is questionable, the

genetic enhancement is far from inevitable. The first challenge about

the behavioral genetics is they don't have a foregone conclusion about

anyone's traits and behaviors are transferred by their parents.