By the way, evolution would still work in a world of genetical engineering. If someone modified their children to have a desire to have as many children as possible (well, assuming that such genes exist), that modification would spread like a wildfire. Or imagine a religious faith that requires you to modify your child for maximum religiousness; including a rule that it is ok (or even encouraged) to marry a person from a different faith as long as they agree that all your children will have this faith and this modification.
The point is, some modifications may have the potential to spread exponentially. So it’s not just one pair of parents making the life of their child suboptimal, but a pair of parents possibly starting a new global problem. (Actually, you don’t even need a pair of parents; one women with donated sperm is enough.)
By the way, evolution would still work in a world of genetical engineering. If someone modified their children to have a desire to have as many children as possible (well, assuming that such genes exist), that modification would spread like a wildfire. Or imagine a religious faith that requires you to modify your child for maximum religiousness; including a rule that it is ok (or even encouraged) to marry a person from a different faith as long as they agree that all your children will have this faith and this modification.
The point is, some modifications may have the potential to spread exponentially. So it’s not just one pair of parents making the life of their child suboptimal, but a pair of parents possibly starting a new global problem. (Actually, you don’t even need a pair of parents; one women with donated sperm is enough.)