If parents could choose their preferred embryos from a large number, with good knowledge of the characteristics the children would have, how much of this selection power do you think those who used this power would spend on intelligence? (p39)
The first few generations would test distinct traits. However states would have a strong incentive to increase intelligence. Diligence or conscientiousness may be even more important, since it gets more things done.
Some parents will use a selection option as soon as any is available. To get a child genius like Einstein is attractive to these strange people. First ‘selections’ will be based on semi-knowledge. Descending childs will suffer from many unintended side effects.
Unless we do not fully understand how intelligence and ‘hard wired’ cognitive features are coded in DNA and epigenetic activation patterns we should not start any selection. Many countries have laws prohibiting embryo selection but this barrier seems to weaken recently. We should not tear it down unless we are precisely knowing what we are going to do.
If parents could choose their preferred embryos from a large number, with good knowledge of the characteristics the children would have, how much of this selection power do you think those who used this power would spend on intelligence? (p39)
The first few generations would test distinct traits. However states would have a strong incentive to increase intelligence. Diligence or conscientiousness may be even more important, since it gets more things done.
Some parents will use a selection option as soon as any is available. To get a child genius like Einstein is attractive to these strange people. First ‘selections’ will be based on semi-knowledge. Descending childs will suffer from many unintended side effects.
Unless we do not fully understand how intelligence and ‘hard wired’ cognitive features are coded in DNA and epigenetic activation patterns we should not start any selection. Many countries have laws prohibiting embryo selection but this barrier seems to weaken recently. We should not tear it down unless we are precisely knowing what we are going to do.