After scientists took control of the atom, weapons with the destructive power of hell were possible. Because they were possible, they were made.
Once we established a vast network of digital communications, it was possible to know almost everything that was said or written – and in some cases thought. Because it was possible, governments, corporations and marketers took possession of this information.
Teams of scientists are planning a one-way trip to Mars. They won’t be able to come back, but because they know they can at least get there, they will go.
If it can be done, it will get done. This is immutable.
Law, regulation, ethics and good sense always resist. It never matters.
Now, there is something new to consider.
We are in possession of a “God Hand” that allows us to alter and enhance the qualities and features that comprises Homo sapiens.
For years we’ve toyed with our genes, but two recent developments have brought this work to an advanced stage where even scientists are shouting, “Stop!”
The developments are:
- Specific pieces of DNA can now be easily and accurately targeted and manipulated.
- The changes made can now be inherited.
“I personally think we are just not smart enough — and won’t be for a very long time — to feel comfortable about the consequences of changing heredity, even in a single individual,” said David Baltimore, a former president of the California Institute of Technology and a member of a group of biologists calling for a moratorium on gene editing.
The group published a paper on the topic in the journal Science. A story on it appeared in the New York Times.
George Q. Daley, a stem cell expert and member of the group, said taking control of our genetic destiny “raises enormous peril for humanity.”
Controlling inherited DNA mean we can control, beauty, disease, intelligence and probably even behavior, maybe mortality.
I shudder at the thought of small armies of Frankenstein monsters roaming the cities and countryside. But I cannot displace the dreamy idea of our still barbaric species living in peace and harmony, with a focus not on the accumulation of capital but on the development of knowledge, betterment, the arts and sciences, altruism and the ability to provide everyone with the resources for living.
This, in effect, is a chance to rise above and beyond what our present species is capable of.
This is extraordinary, which is why it will be done.
Will it be done right and fair and with justice? Probably not at first.
In the beginning, people will prefer the inherited traits for beautiful rather than intelligence. For those who do choose intelligence, we’ll have to worry about them creating a superior class and lording over us.
But think of the potential.
Science is giving us a second chance. We can be like those big-headed movie aliens who visit Earth and know everything and look down on us as if we are quarreling children.
If we were supreme and peace loving, we could do the impossible just with the money saved on weapons and warfare. For one, we could rebuild our cities. There would be high-speed rail lines running everywhere, self-driving cars and wide roads without potholes. Food, college and health care would be free.
And we could fund the Mars expedition so they’d be able to come back.
Best yet, when those explorers stepped off their spacecraft, they’d be the big-headed aliens.
Let’s see where this goes. It might be wise to invest in companies that make large-size hats. From a personal standpoint, those who are 10s and do nothing may be knocked down to a 5. Still, it is likely you’ll go the winter without the flu or even a sniffle. Getting into Harvard will be harder. When playing poker or games of chance, be sure those at the table haven’t been to the genetics lab.
For myself, I can see a self-help book in the works.
By Lanny Morgnanesi
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