Looking at the basic definition of eugenics makes it seem like the sci-fi concept of editing a fetus to not have diseases. Is there something ethically wrong with that?
I know eugenics is based in nazi shit and “selective breeding” (which I’m vehemently against), but people get angry at the term, so I’m assuming we’re nowhere nere the sci-fi stuff(?)
It’s historically been applied at the level of societies rather than individuals, and targeted at common traits seen as undesirable rather than at specific genetic defects. And it tends to be based on misconceptions about evolution—e.g., that an ideal population is one in which all members’ genotypes approach some hypothetical optimum, and any genetic diversity within a population is deleterious.
Please please please forgive my ignorance
Looking at the basic definition of eugenics makes it seem like the sci-fi concept of editing a fetus to not have diseases. Is there something ethically wrong with that?
I know eugenics is based in nazi shit and “selective breeding” (which I’m vehemently against), but people get angry at the term, so I’m assuming we’re nowhere nere the sci-fi stuff(?)
Eugenics is a very real and racist policy.
Ethiopian women in Israel ‘given contraceptive without consent’
It’s historically been applied at the level of societies rather than individuals, and targeted at common traits seen as undesirable rather than at specific genetic defects. And it tends to be based on misconceptions about evolution—e.g., that an ideal population is one in which all members’ genotypes approach some hypothetical optimum, and any genetic diversity within a population is deleterious.
I see! That makes perfect sense! Thank you
Racists like Musk love it because it’s a way to reduce “unwanted” populations without saying it outright