Danger in mind Today’s Telegraph alerted me to a survey of leading scientific thinkers conducted by The Edge website.
This one from Craig Venter, Genomics Researcher and Founder & President, J. Craig Venter Science Foundation, is a real breath of fresh air:-
The references to these evil “genetic determinists” are odd, though? Why the need for Ventnor to put himself on-side with the race unrealist side with this strawman? Stephen Pinker weighs in with a more retrospective as well as predictive contribution:-
Among the other respondees thusfar - interesting for different reasons - are Greg Cochrane, Jared Diamond, Susan Blackmore, Matt Ridley, Eric Kandel. Overall, fascinating and much of it provocative. Secure in the knowledge that Mr Brockman will not trouble me for my dangerous idea, I have no recourse but to utilise this website for the greater understanding of the future of mankind - and invite all our readers who, similarly, will not be approached by Mr Brockman to do the same. My idea? No surprise really ... and it’s political, of course, and not scientific:- If no political resolution is fashioned within the next three decades, the peoples of the West will be pushed to the point of taking up arms to re-secure their living space. Comments:2
Posted by Edgar Mice Burrows on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 18:16 | # Finally, Mr. Hutchinson has said what we all have been thinking: we are living in an Olaf Stapledon novel. I fear, though, that it is not the one he thinks, but possibly Star Maker or that one about the superintelligent dog. 3
Posted by Geoff Beck (aka Leslie) on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:16 | # > happy and successful men or women who want children but have never found a satisfactory spouse Welcome to the real world, how about trying stoicism, endurance, and patience instead of resorting to a ghoulish practice like cloning? Anyway, I think it best such people die without offspring. Of course I think it best that respectable conservatives, in general, die without offspring - considering their lack of backbone. Jellyfish humans, really. 4
Posted by Svigor on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:37 | # What is ghoulish about cloning? It occurs naturally with every instance of identical twins. As for population growth, well, that’s going to be the biggie for man in this eon.
Indeed. I’d like to see Venter name one or two of these “genetic determinists.” I’m glad I read Venter’s piece. Until now I was conflating him with that jackass, the one who headed the government’s wing of the HGP. I was mystified by “his” 180 until I followed the link and saw the picture - different guy. I’m too lazy for a Google, what’s that bespectacled lisping jackass’ name? 5
Posted by James Bowery on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 22:04 | # The references to these evil “genetic determinists” are odd, though? Why the need for Ventnor to put himself on-side with the race unrealist side with this strawman? Venter is Jewish. He declared that race is an invalid construct based on the compelling data represented by a single human genome: his. Paraphrasing Harry Harpending’s response to this mendacity: “Even my 7 year old could see through that…” 6
Posted by Geoff Beck (aka Leslie) on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 22:12 | # > It occurs naturally with every instance of identical twins. That is a simpleton’s remark, Svi. 8
Posted by Guessedworker on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 22:28 | # James, I guess the point with Venter, as with Pinker, is that whatever his own EGI or politics, he has a prior, professional obligation to scientific integrity. No matter how much the liberal mind struggles against the revelations of modern genetics, the Game of Facts is lost and the truth belongs to the right. Liberalism has to accomodate human difference, and Darwin too. The political debate will change accordingly. One sure victim will be egalitarianism of human potential, another blue-skies, self-authoring theoretics. That, in plain English, is the Marxist and traditional liberal versions of Man ko’d. This is big stuff. Of course, the wheels are still turning and will go on turning for a year or three yet. But the scientifically demonstrable truth is coming to us. The time for lies as a foundation of public policy will have to end. 9
Posted by Svigor on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:25 | #
So, I actually wasn’t conflating the two, rather they both said the same thing? (The jackass - whatshisname? Francis or Frank or something? - I was referring to said as much) It’s amazing to me how these guys can disingenuously spew squid-ink everywhere, knowing full well they’re deceiving people with strawman arguments like “this proves there are no discrete human races.” I guess it’s easy to tell yourself you’re telling “white lies” for the “greater good” when funding is on the line and your head is buried firmly in the political sand. 10
Posted by Svigor on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:28 | #
Yeah, that’s about as far from the Cohen Modal Haplotype as it gets (within the European races anyways). 11
Posted by Svigor on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:34 | # Geoff, cloning-as-reproduction seems to me to be very much in line with EGI. How is it ghoulish for, say, an infertile couple to have children this way? How is it any more ghoulish than IVF or adoption (adoption is far less in line with EGI than cloning, isn’t it?). What’s ghoulish about cloning? I think there’s a traditionalist argument to be made against cloning, but I don’t think that’s sufficient reason to veto the idea. 12
Posted by Phil on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:35 | # No I have seen other examples. One girl at University was blue eyed blonde and one hundred percent Jewish (she wasn’t Mischlinge). She was exquisitely good looking. I remember being especially shocked when she said she was Jewish. Her surname was “Morris”. (chuckle) 13
Posted by Phil on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:36 | # No I have seen other examples. I meant to say that I have seen more extreme examples. 14
Posted by Svigor on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:40 | # Also, I’m not seeing the simpleton connection; identical twinning is natural, accidental cloning, and no one considers that ghoulish. How does the introduction of intent make its occurrence ghoulish? 15
Posted by ben tillman on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:52 | # Venter’s “curriculum vitae” is here: http://www.alejandria.cl/empresa/noticias/2003/docs/cv_craigventer.DOC 16
Posted by Fred Scrooby on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:00 | #
Ouch! That was unfair, Martin. GW can defend himself of course, if he deems it necessary, but we others who agree with him were also stung by that gratuitous little barb. Not to make this a sermon, but I just can’t let that pass: none of us views himself as “approving” or “disapproving” of any race but only as questioning our own race’s being deliberately and carefully immigrationed out of existence. That’s it. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re not trying to pass judgment on any race. 17
Posted by ben tillman on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:14 | # Phil, there are plenty of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jews, especially in the more-distant provinces (like Texas). The last time I attended an American Jewish Committee function, I observed that about 50% of the Jews on the periphery of the action (where I was, of course) were blue-eyed. Having said that, I would be very surprised to learn that Venter is Jewish. 18
Posted by Geoff Beck on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 03:27 | # We? > We’re not trying to pass judgment on any race. Svi, Of course, cloning is an area of controversy and I’m sure there is disagreements among WN’sts on this issue. However, I find it ghoulish, any sort of industrial process to produce our kind I find too Huxleyian. Why not do it the old old fashioned way? Compatible males & female meet, court, and have children. Men not able to fulfill this process out to either change society to so they can breed, or not breed. And, while we are at it, lets encourage the non-whites to use birth control, indulge in feminism, and become homosexual. Oh the hate! 19
Posted by Mark Richardson on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 04:06 | # I’m with Geoff on this one. Our instincts to marry and have children are generally strongest in our 20s. One of the failings of the modern West is that middle-class women in particular have been encouraged to think of their 20s as a time for independent, single girl careerism. By a person’s late 30s, not only is fertility in decline, but so too will be the “active hopefuleness” (the psychological receptiveness) to achieve love and parenthood. A kind of resigned fatalism often sets in. Science might be able to extend the period of fertility (but very intrusively, expensively and unreliably to date). But it can’t give back the lost potential of youth. I know a lot of pretty, feminine, single women in their late 30s, who have just been through too much with men to take active steps now to marry and have children. The option of cloning would make no difference to them, as they have passed the stage of accepting marriage and motherhood. They needed a more stable family life in their girlhood, and more protection from exploitation in their late teens and early 20s. By their mid-30s they were dating men who themselves had given up. You have to get the culture right. 20
Posted by Martin Hutchinson on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 04:16 | # Fred, I quite agree with you on the objective, but point out that the declining fertility that comes with wealth may shortly be counterbalanced by increased availability of artificial means. I regard genetic engineering as a means by which everybody’s objectives, mine (fewer, smarter people) yours and GW’s (race survival, if I can put it non-perjoratively that way) and Geoff’s (a firm preference for his own race) can all be achieved. Indeed, if the “smart gene” hypothesis is correct, genetic engineering can also be used to retro-fit any Africans who lack it, thus solving most of the problems of the Third World (presumably once smart, and very quickly rich, they would settle down like good Italians to a 1.3 fertility rate.) Geoff, if I may say so, in finding cloning “ghoulish” you’re in very good “respectable conservative” company—National Review, George W. Bush…. Personally I think it’s exciting because most of its likely uses would tend to further your general objectives as well as mine and those of MR as a whole. 21
Posted by Guessedworker on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 08:33 | # Martin, I said before that you can’t just increase African intelligence in isolation. The gargantuan task of creation confronts you. The body is genetically programmed to deliver from conception onwards a total package. Intelligence is one outcome only, and is dependent on many, many others. In any case, regression to the mean may still operate since intelligence is likely to be product of many genes. The trolley would have to be pushed uphill for several generation and across the entire race. For example, Sikh IQ (100) emerged out of Indian IQ (81) through terrible persecution by the Turks for three centuries. On the ethics of cloning I am, being one who came late to fatherhood through the exigency of IVF, always in favour of kids. But, clearly, Mark is right and a healthy culture beats all other means to this blessing. Furthermore, cloning as a mere means to extend individual choice - another triumph of the liberated New Man - is offensive to me on political grounds. 22
Posted by James Bowery on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 08:53 | # I guess the point with Venter, as with Pinker, is that whatever his own EGI or politics, he has a prior, professional obligation to scientific integrity. No matter how much the liberal mind struggles against the revelations of modern genetics, the Game of Facts is lost and the truth belongs to the right. First, I retract my statement about Venter’s ethnicity. I was mistakenly left with the impression he was Jewish from some discussions about 4 years ago concerning the emerging businesses in the DNA fingerprinting business sector. Second, while it is true that “the genome jocks” are both at the forefront of gathering the data and are therefore least able to remain in denial, they are also generally at the forefront of denial—repeatedly making politically comforting statements to the press while continuing to publish results that don’t support those statements. Harpending and other conscientious scientists excuse this as resulting from the need for funding under tremendous political pressures. It seems it would be just as easy for these guys to just remain silent. 23
Posted by Svigor on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:33 | #
That’s my point exactly. Fearing the Inquisition is no excuse for supporting it. 24
Posted by Phil on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 20:08 | # For example, Sikh IQ (100) emerged out of Indian IQ (81) through terrible persecution by the Turks for three centuries. GW, I think you are referring to Sikh IQ in the UK, not India. But Indians in the UK also average about 98. This may have to do with selective immigration rather than eugenics by default due to persecution. Post a comment:
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Posted by Martin Hutchinson on Tue, 03 Jan 2006 15:19 | #
Pinker’s conclusion, that nobody will want to clone or produce designer babies is precisely wrong and a good thing too. There are plenty of good reasons for cloning, for example the many happy and successful men or women who want children but have never found a satisfactory spouse, or who wait too long to have them biologically, or who want lots of kids but the wife has a career or whose spouse is infertile.
Similarly, if high IQ in one genetic manifestation correlates with partioculalr diseases, it will be perfectly possible to tweak the genetic code to produce both high IQ AND blockers for the diseases; once this is possible people will want to do it. More excitingly, it should also be possible to find genetic patterns that produce an intelligence above that which can occur naturally—designing Stapledon’s “Second Men” in the laboratory.
Provided world fertility is put on a steady downward path, and races GW approves of have most of the money, the artificial creation of humanity should remove any need for warfare. In any case, it will be difficult to determine what race the new “Second Men” are, since they will not resemble any existing pattern.
Exciting and glorious prospects, provided we control world population and control the Luddites on both sides of the political spectrum.