Are further scientific advances detrimental to the human race?

[The King]

Science. I'm going to assume that everyone comming to this message board has a fairly decent grasp on it's defination. Science can be applied to a vast majority of things. However, when dealt with on a higher level, one that man was never intended to get to, the ability to control the outcome of natural things.

Should man be able to pick the specifics of his unborn child? Should man be able to effect the outcome of his childs eye color, or the hair color. As it currently stands, doctors are working on these things and more. They are working on being able to effect the very genome that creates us. Should we be able to do this? Eventually man will unlock the secrects of life, and then what? Will all of the new children being born be of superior intellect? Will they all be what we as a collective race view as "perfect" ?

This surely is not the way I hope to live in the comming years. Being trampled on because I am naturally born, and not a guise of science. We have the power to do this, and we have the power to do more, but where will it end? What's going to happen when scientific advances make is possible for humans to be genetically altered to become living hydrogen bombs? I'm not saying that it's going to happen in the near future, or that it's even plausable. But what's to stop us? Truly we have come to a breaking point in scientific research. We know more about man and his cellular buildup than we ever concieved imaginable, but I ask you this. When will it end?

[betaalpha5]

yeah i read about that. i think china might do it since they always want a male child.

personally i wouldn't do it. somehow i feel it's not ethical. think about it, pretty soon we have another fanatic who wants a "pure" race

[Venice_native]

I'm glad you made this topic. Somthing that finally intrests me.

Anyways, I feel that if we keep alterting genes to the extent that is perfect, it would make a lot of things change and rise. Such as, terrorism. It would be at a completely different level. Instead of targeting humans directly, they could just as easily target the human gene pool. In a given amount of time (let's use a couple thousand years), the race could become too perfect for its own good, throwing the whole planet into chaos. By that time, we would have advanced to newer planets, and those might be destroyed as well. Could quite possibly destroy our entire solar system until a higher life form comes by and takes us over.

I am not saying aliens [in modern views of aliens], I am just saying a higher life form from a different part of our universe. If they were to take order of our galaxy, the could colonize over our plaents and make new land here, with us becoming slaves or being killed off.

That's just one idea.

[betaalpha5]

let me take a page out of star trek if i may.

the Eugenics Wars was basically a war on genetic alteration. all of the augments were stronger, faster, and "Better" than ordinary people.

the augments lost the war but Arik Soong wanted to keep studying to find new ways of making the "perfect" human.

if we are going to tamper with the human genome what qualities would we take out? what will we make stronger? how would we try to prevent discrimnation? just my 2 cents

[TrongaMonga]

one that man was never intended to get to

That's personal opinion. Science doesn't really go well with personal opinions. Never did.

--Edit--

Clubs are the way to go.

[The King]

Originally Posted by betaalpha5

if we are going to tamper with the human genome what qualities would we take out? what will we make stronger? how would we try to prevent discrimnation? just my 2 cents

Disease will be the first thing to go. Also weakness of mind and body. Handicapped people of the future will be the ones who are not genetically altered to the point of perfection.

Stronger will most likely be our sense, muscles, and stability and longevity of "natural life." Discrimination will never be abolished, simply because mankind will never be able to fully deal with everything on an equal plain. No matter how perfect we can get our genome, I do not believe that we will ever get rid of prejudice for it is the way of man to pick out things that are not "perfect" in ones own eye.

[micro.micro]

i seriously find nothing wrong with a utopian society where everyone is alike and good. it is certainly more appealing than a society where we produce a variation of good and bad. having everyone living peacefully even if it means giving up variations in personality (at worst) is a fair cost. just because we achieve perfection through science doesn't mean negative effects will occur with the human race. this is a fear but hasn't been proven just like the scientists thought that the A-bomb would blow a hole in the atmosphere. we're just using foresight on what may come. it doesn't necessiarilly mean taht this will occur.

[Master.America]

Genetic alteration of unborn children is a joke. Why? It takes away the one thing that truly makes us human: individuality. I'm not gonna elaborate on this... I could go on for hours.

On the thread's subject, however... would scientific advances be detrimental to the human race? Depends. Which scientific advances? Or, an even better question--over what period of time? Humans will always desire perfection, and we will seek it in any way possible. Eventually, genetic alteration will be a regular practice. As far as I see it, that's inevitable. However, we must remember this: even without genetic alteration, the average lifespan has been increasing over the years. One of the main, short-run goals of genetic alteration will be to pump up the body's immune system, causing the subject's lifespan to skyrocket. Eventually, "old age" won't even be an issue. Before long, we'll have the entire planet crowded. What happens then? Mass famine? Nuclear genocide? Who knows. In any case, it'd be GG humans.