humans do not explicitly care about / optimize for our genes
Ahh but they do. Humans generally do explicitly care about propagating their own progeny/bloodlines, and always have—long before the word ‘gene’. And this is still generally true today—adoption is last resort, not a first choice.
I’ll definitely agree that most people seem to prefer having their own kids to adopting kids. But is this really demonstrating an intrinsic desire to preserve our actual physical genes, or is it more just a generic desire to “feel like your kids are really yours”?
I think we can distinguish between these cases with a thought experiment: Imagine that genetic engineering techniques become available that give high IQs, strength, height, etc., and that prevent most genetic diseases. But, in order to implement these techniques, lots and lots of genes must be modified. Would parents want to use these techniques?
I myself certainly would, even though I am one of the people who would prefer to have my own kids vs adoption. For me, it seems that the genes themselves are not actually the reason I want my own kids. As long as I feel like the kids are “something I created”, or “really mine”, that’s enough to satisfy my natural tendencies. I suspect that most parents would feel similarly.
More specifically, I think what parents care about is that their kids kind of look like them, share some of their personality traits, “have their mother’s eyes”, etc. But I don’t think that anyone really cares how those things are implemented.
Ahh but they do. Humans generally do explicitly care about propagating their own progeny/bloodlines, and always have—long before the word ‘gene’. And this is still generally true today—adoption is last resort, not a first choice.
I’ll definitely agree that most people seem to prefer having their own kids to adopting kids. But is this really demonstrating an intrinsic desire to preserve our actual physical genes, or is it more just a generic desire to “feel like your kids are really yours”?
I think we can distinguish between these cases with a thought experiment: Imagine that genetic engineering techniques become available that give high IQs, strength, height, etc., and that prevent most genetic diseases. But, in order to implement these techniques, lots and lots of genes must be modified. Would parents want to use these techniques?
I myself certainly would, even though I am one of the people who would prefer to have my own kids vs adoption. For me, it seems that the genes themselves are not actually the reason I want my own kids. As long as I feel like the kids are “something I created”, or “really mine”, that’s enough to satisfy my natural tendencies. I suspect that most parents would feel similarly.
More specifically, I think what parents care about is that their kids kind of look like them, share some of their personality traits, “have their mother’s eyes”, etc. But I don’t think that anyone really cares how those things are implemented.