We are living the science fiction. What was thought to be impossible only half a century ago is now becoming reality. With the development of technology like CRISPR-Cas9, we are able to "pop the hood" of human genome and edit ourselves. The promises and perils of such technology are immense, the new Netflix series, Unnatural Selection, has picked up on that.
Unnatural Selection: The Future of Human Directed Evolution
Links & Articles
Unnatural Selection on Netflix
What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9? from Genetics Home Reference
Human Enhancement eds. Julian Savulescu & Nick Bostrom
Better than Human: The Promise and Perils of Enhancing Ourselves by Allen Buchanan
Unfit for the Future: The Need for Moral Enhancement by Ingar Persson and Julian Savulescu
Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age by Bill McKibben
Biotechnology and the Human Good by C. Ben Mitchell et al.
Humanity's End: Why We Should Reject Radical Enhancement by Nicholas Agar
The Case against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering by Michael J. Sandel
Intro Music
Amped Adapter by Marc Robillard
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Forest by LiQWYD
Hey, guys, it’s the friend from Victoria that Steve mentioned. I have a bit of a different thought around this topic. I have a son and wife with a rare genetic disorder called myotonic dystrophy. This is a disorder that could easily be eliminated by the technology that is featured in this show. I also have friends who have a two-year-old daughter with an even rarer disorder called Tango 2.
As much as I hate seeing these little ones in pain and having to live with these disorders. I have to ask my self why do they exist in the first place. We do have a God who is all-powerful and all-knowing, so why do they exist? I have come to the conclusion that they have value in our human experience. What would a world look like without suffering? What kind of people would we be without learning to serve, have empathy, compassion and other character-building attributes? I am sure even Love would look a lot different.
I would love to chat more on this topic anytime.
God Bless