Would you be willing to live in a world where genetic alteration of our attractiveness and IQs is commonplace?

Question

I would be willing to live in such a place, for it would mean that everyone could date supermodels and possess superior intelligence. It could also lead to a less violent world, with fewer wars and less violent crime (assuming that violence is genetically influenced). It wouldn't solve all the world's problems and might create new ones, but I think it would be a much better world overall.

Answer 1

I would approve of altering your genes to be smart or pretty but not to be non-aggressive. Aggression is linked to our response to neurotransmitters particularly those involved in our pleasure responses - it'd blow if everyone was non-aggressive, beautiful, intelligent and too depressed to enjoy it.

Answer 2

In your brave new world certain things would be sorely missed. Have you ever sat next to someone in some enforced situation like a plane or in a public meeting; accessed that person as extremely physically unattractive, and yet having had to speak with them for a few minutes, left the experience changed in some way? Have you met gentle, peaceful, happy 'slow' people and/or high-strung aggressive geniuses? And Vice versa?

I once babysat a down syndrone child and left thinking that such a gift should somehow be made available to everyone. Supermodels don't posess all the physical beauty in the world and the highly intelligent are not necessarily more civilized or less aggressive.

There was once a species of elk in which the males with the biggest antlers were deemed the most attractive and natural selection dictated that the animals would grow bigger and bigger antlers until the species died out as the antlers became so large the animal was no longer viable in nature.

We don't understand all the components of what has allowed us to survive to this point as a species, but I suspect that reducing our variety may not be the way to go.

There is beauty everywhere you look...everywhere!

Answer 3

It's not as simple as that. If everyone is a supermodel, is anyone really one? If everyone is smart, doesn't that make even smart people below average?

This is going to be the first problem. If everyone has a 200 IQ instead of a 100 IQ, then it just sets a new standard of what is 'average', but does not really change the social dynamic much at all. Even if everyone is gorgeous, there will still be people who are slightly more so and some who are slightly less so, and those who are more so will be the new supermodels, even if the ugly ones are better than the supermodels we use now.

The second problem is going to be underemployment. We ALREADY have people with massive training and intelligence working in McDonald's because they can't find a job in their fields. Can you imagine how much WORSE that would be if suddenly EVERYONE is capable of massive intellectual and physical feats?! Almost everyone is going to find that in their daily lives they are incapable of employing even a fraction of their incredible ability to anyone's benefit. Nor is this likely to change in the near future, either - we are likely to need data entry people, hairdressers, and baggage handlers for a long time to come.

I'm reminded of one of the less-known stories of Star Trek. Supposedly, they FIRST Enterprise they sent out was staffed with the very best and brightest of the entire world. This voyage was a complete and utter failure because the crew all wanted to be leaders instead of followers, in accordance with their ability. So the SECOND Enterprise (the one with Kirk) was staffed only with the not-quite-so bright people... the ones who were used to doing well but being slightly behind and therefore able to take orders.

Or, to put it in 'Brave New World' terminology: you can't have a world filled with alphas until you have a repacement for the epsilons.

Answer 4

As far as altering intelligence I would be all for it, because it would allow for the advancement of the human race in directions that we can't even begin to think of. However as far as attractiveness goes, it wouldn't be a good thing. The reason everyone wants to date a supermodel is because they are rare. It is uniqueness that is important. There is a saying, If God is almighty and compassionate, then why does he allow pain. The answer, because without pain you would never know what is good. Same if everyone is "beautiful" then that means that everyone is average. Finally, there is also the point that not everyone has the same definition of beauty; some like tall, some short, some skinny, some curvy, some dark, some light, some blond, etc. So the decisions would be made by who then to make this person "beautiful"?

Answer 5

In general this would probably be something only the rich or maybe middle class could afford. There could also be a wide variety of the quality of the alteration...140 IQ and cute to 200 IQ and drop dead gorgeous.

This could cause a widening of the gap in the economic classes causing additional stress on a society. Perhaps even a blackmarket development to sell to the "lower class" which could have poor side effects. This could even lead to violent clashes if the newly improved tried to oppress the non-improved.

It would be tempting, but only if it was truely available to everyone on an equal basis.

There would still be differences in people as personality and beliefs mold us more then looks and intelligence.

Answer 6

I totally agree with JAKEPI21 and SDS.

If every genetic detail is the same then the human race would not survive.

Bacteria reproduces asexually by splitting into two. The new bacteria will have the genes cloned from the first one. One medicine is enough to destroy them since they have the same level of resistance.

Humans have 42 chromosomes in their DNA. 21 from mom and 21 from dad. Each of the 21 will have gene characteristics of all the successful ancestors. So each person with this completely different chromosome set have completely different resistant levels.

When Plague struck Europe millions died but a whole village(Eyam in England) survived because they had resistant genes.

If all humans have same genes then the human race will be extinct in few decades.

Answer 7

Uh, if everyone was superbeautiful according to todays standards, then everyone will be boring and hohum, sheesh, another skinny supermodel with perfect bone structure. Therefore, human logic will guarrantee a complete fascination by the first ugly baby they see,, because it is rare and new !

Answer 8

Absolutely not. My IQ is way much higher and better looking then my own attractiveness/slow Slug MOo MOo

Which one the following is not most like.?
1. Horse
2 Rabbit
3. Kangaroo
4 Dog

Answer 9

This kind of world scares me. Let's then engineer people so we can predetermine what they will be best at and make sure that they do only that for the rst of thier lives, read, A Brave New World.

Answer 10

It wouldn't be that much different than now. People resort to everything from makeup to anorexia to plastic surgery to alter their appearance already. Parents buy all sorts of educational toys, trying to stimulate the IQ of their kids to make them smarter. What you propose is only a change in the degree that people try to change themselves.

Answer 11

Nature strives for uniformity within various groups. But it also strives for larger numbers of groups. This insures that some groups will continue to survive. If everyone is genetically identical then one disease could sweep thru an entire population and destroy everyone. We would all have the same susceptibility to that disease and we would all have the same resistance capability!