Re:China Is Engineering Genius Babies (2013)
by magic_beans on Thursday July 27, 2017 @03:39PM
(#14868685)
Agreed. Wouldn't it be MUCH easier to, say, invest heavily in our early and middle education systems?
Much cheaper than eugenics.
Re:China Is Engineering Genius Babies (2013)
by dis-sys on Thursday July 27, 2017 @01:55PM
(#14867766)
why can't have both, "eliminating things that drag it down" + genetic engineering?
Re:China Is Engineering Genius Babies (2013)
by spamizbad on Thursday July 27, 2017 @02:58PM
(#14868297)
If we're going to act like we're a bunch of smarty-pants engineers here, it seems rational to start with the low hanging fruit: environmental toxins.
In addition to facing fewer ethical pitfalls, greatly reducing these environmental factors is well within our current means. It also universally beneficial, and not limited to those who can afford "Boutique" offspring.
Re:China Is Engineering Genius Babies (2013)
by SideburnsOfDoom on Thursday July 27, 2017 @02:24PM
(#14868021)
You can have the first if you have a government with sufficient sense and compassion, it's been that way for a long time - and to be fair a lot of issues have been reduced or eliminated over the decades. e.g. Leaded vehicle fuel is a thing of the past.
You can have the second at some time in the future if the research works out and you can afford it.
If you are looking for bang for the buck in raising the average IQ across the whole population, then there are serious quick wins in eliminating things that drag it down. For instance, exposure to lead. And it's doable, hardly rocket science or genetic engineering.
If you're looking for a few very rich people to give their offspring another advantage over the rest, then genetic engineering becomes more pertinent.