Blish's "Conscience" vs. Wolfe's "Fifth Head"

Gerry Quinn · 03 Jan 2006, 11:02 · from rec.arts.sf.written.2006.mbox

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From: Gerry Quinn <gerryq at DELETETHISindigo.ie>
Subject: Re: Blish's "Conscience" vs. Wolfe's "Fifth Head"
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 11:02:31 -0000
Message-ID: <MPG.1e246a21788928d098a91f at news1.eircom.net>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
References: <1135781723.546189.19520 at g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> <1136128612.366330.128000 at f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> <Xns973F5BACDAC2Bidtoken at 204.153.244.170> <1136227104.069393.207880 at z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>

> The only hope
> might be to utilize genetic engineering advancements to improve our
> mental capabilities before humankind self-destructs over some idiocy,
> but any move in the direction of genetic engineering is very much
> opposed by fundamentalist religion. Eugenics is a very ugly word
> because it was applied in some very ignorant and evil ways. Still that
> doesn't change the fact that we are here and that we got here through a
> very slow process.

Attitudes like yours go some way towards explaining why non-religious 
intelligent conservatives increasingly tend to find themselves allied 
with religion-oriented groupings.

Evolution IS a slow process - witness your adherence to the notion that 
man is perfectable by technology.  

What's especially bizarre is your notion of increasing intelligence by 
inserting mutated genes into the human genome.  Assuming, reasonably 
enough, that intelligence is somewhat heritable, a conventional 
breeding program that favoured the reproduction of high-IQ individuals 
would at least run little risk of creating a biological disaster for 
humanity, even if it promotes - as it probably would - racial tension, 
terrorism and a world war or three.  

(And if it works, I suspect that the main effect on the human race will 
be that the sudokus in the newspapers will be slightly harder, and the 
news surrounding them much the same.)

You talk about humanity "self-destructing over some idiocy".  But 
you're the one promoting such an idiocy.

- Gerry Quinn

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