Out of Pod Experience

I'm looking for your viewpoints on Genetic Engineering/Modification on humans.

My partner and I got into a debate about genetically modifying mentally and/or emotionally handicapped individuals.

He is a special education teacher and is fervently against genetic modification of said individuals. He, however, has no problem with using genetic modification to correct for physical deformities. His argument stems from his view that if you were to correct for mental and/or emotional handicap, you change the person or the "soul", if you will.

I am for genetic modification. My view is everybody should have an equal capacity to learn. I also see how we, as a country, treat our disabled. It's horrendous. I used to look down on all of the homeless people in my area but I began to see a pattern of mental instability in the individuals that came through the area. Another, more socialist, view on the subject is that by correcting the handicap we will give them the ability to become a productive member of society.

Please give me your views on the subject and if debate ensues, please keep it civil. Thanks!

Brain cells and boob cells are all cells. The best question I heard about a soul is: If I looked at a human body to find a soul, and looked at everything in it.. how would I know I've found a soul? Good luck, giving me an answer.

Is your ability (or inability) to do math part of your personality? What about not being able to walk, or missing an arm? Wouldn't restoring those functions also change your personality?

I think what your partner means is the degree to which a personality change would occur. Curing a physical deformity would have a significant effect on me, but maybe not as far reaching as if you made me a thousand times smarter.

But if I were missing my legs, would I not want legs to walk with? If I couldn't function socially, wouldn't I want something that would allow me to enjoy that kind of thing?

I would think the answer would be 'yes' in both cases.. personality be damned. After all, this "person" i'm so attached to may be responsible for causing me a lot of misery, too.

But how would a mentally handicapped person consent? There are some who cannot, or need a proxy for consent..

For me, I think that would be a "pro choice" decision, which would be another topic for another day

Pretty much, actually.
We do genetically modify organisms, but so far it has just been failure with HUGE promises... even during the collapse. Sort of like Baghdad Bob, completely oblivious to what is actually going on. It's like monkeys playing in the mud, it's not going to happen anytime soon, and we will probably completely destroy our existing food supply through the failure of genetic modification that it won't matter if we could ever get to the point of actually understanding it; the human race will have long since passed away before then due to our stupidity of letting idiots mess with genetic manipulation.

You mean something like state control where they intern you for not being genetically acceptable to the standard? Well you may not 'mean' but that is where it would wind up. 'choice' is a funny word, sadly seldom a choice by those most effected but made by others for the "good of others". 'Good' is a funny word too... or "think of the children" or whatever. But the people directly effected are usually the ones that have no say in the matter.

You should go volunteer at a homeless shelter or rehab center that often deals with homeless and such. I did when I was young, just looking down on them less isn't really a life lesson to steer the lives of others by, nor the future of humanity. In some countries, such people were put down like dogs during WWII, often for "genetic" purposes, yet they are human just as much as you and I, all of the same human race. Gee and on that, we nearly kill each other off just over perceived 'cosmetic-level' differences, just think when there actually rises different races of humans based on actual genetic differences, all claiming to be superior.