From: cdale@silly.techmonkeys.net
Date: Thu Sep 28 2000 - 09:55:07 PDT
My daughter was telling me that this stuff is scaring her the other nite.
I asked her why and she said, "Well, don't you think it's creepy that
humans, which are stupid for the most part, are trying to play god?" I
said, "But you don't believe in god." She said, "No, but you know what I
mean." So, being the ever-confused parent, I told her, "Don't worry,
we're not really at the top of the food chain -- the virus is, and it will
take care of everything." She said, "Yeh, for real," and that was that.
For now. She's likely to bring it up again next week, but I truly don't
know what to say about it. She also worries about the rights of AI
beings, and has high hopes that Bush will be elected and get us into a war
that will wipe all of us off the planet. -sigh- She's just like her mom.
(: But really, if we are eventually able to clone humans, what will the
clones be like? Will they have emotions and such? Or will they be
toddling hunks of meat? There are going to be ethical concerns that are
going to be much more complicated than those of simple personal freedoms.
I don't pretend to know a thing about cloning, but it is spooky to think
about. "Oh, this one is flawed, throw it in the incinerator." I guess
the bottom line question is: Will they be sentient?
C
"A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity."
-- Robert Frost
On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, John Klassa wrote:
>
> >>>>> On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, "Eugene" == Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> Eugene> Could you tell me, where exactly this stuff is headed?
>
> Here's a scenario.
>
> You're a couple with a baby on the way. You decide you don't want kids
> right now, for whatever reason, so you abort the fetus. Before you do,
> you store some DNA away. A few years later, you "recreate" him/her when
> it's convenient for you.
>
> Maybe it's just that out-dated, narrow-minded, judgmental Christian
> mindset of mine showing through, but this doesn't seem right to me.
> That it may to a significant number of others concerns me.
>
>
>
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