Embracing inevitability of gene tweak risks

Despite the past horrors of eugenics – which Nietzsche associated with the Übermensch – it’s difficult to seriously argue for genetic engineering research to be scrapped altogether, as it’s this kind of research that is likely to produce treatments for otherwise untreatable diseases and mental illnesses. But there’s undoubtedly a certain amount of risk involved with genetic engineering, either due to unforeseen consequences – such as the contamination of non-GM crops with GM crops – or through deliberate misuse. But the fact remains that if we want to find cures for human ills, extend life, or even change the way that we think, then this will require tampering with fundamental aspects of our genetic composition. Even after animal experiments, nobody can guarantee what the short and long-term fallout from these genetic tinkerings will be among human populations, but do we not proceed because of these unknowns? The risks may be great, but so too are the rewards.

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