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Robert — (archived)

To paraphrase the famous words of John Perry Barlow on Internet censorship, I'd expect Nature to interpret genetic engineering as a high mutation rate and select around it.

In other words, the charge of "playing God" is satisfactorily answered by the simple observation that your failures will fail. Genetic engineering doesn't imply the ability to defy the laws of nature, particularly the requirement that an organism be a good fit with its immediate environment.

Am I correct in interpreting your intention as the creation of new species tailored to fit various environments (such as a planet around Alpha Centauri), rather than replacement of humanity by a single Superman? If so, that's not so unreasonable--there is no such thing as a universal superhuman, because the definition of superiority is entirely local and defined in terms of fit with a specific environment; but specialization and adaptation are already things that humans do fairly well.

Where you go off the tracks is your choice of the Caucasian germ line as the "most highly-evolved human" upon which to base genetic engineering. You must know that that's rubbish, since we're talking about the expression of a subset of the entire human genome in response to local circumstances. You're just shooting yourself in the foot if you refuse to go to the other sections of the genomic library for the genes you need, such as melanin production for resistance to the sun, or epicanthic folds and layers of fat for protection against cold and wind. It may just kill you to acknowledge this, but genetic diversity is your friend, especially if you aspire to genetic engineering. I think that racism would be as much of an intellectual handicap for a geneticist as Creationism or ID.

Ya know, Lee, it seems to me that we've fallen into the unhealthy rut of labelling you a "NeoNazi" and requiring you to first deny that charge and then try and clarify what you really believe. The noise level's too high with that approach. Feel free to start with a fresh slate, some time, and post a statement about your beliefs and goals. I don't have much patience these days for replaying old arguments; I need fresh meat.

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