[Art]

Quite an interesting and thought-provoking article.

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/artificial-life-vint-cerf

[ivan.moony]

All the articles like that one have only one concern: how will it affect humans and is it good for them. My concern is more general. For example, I wonder how would artificially created organism feel? I'd hate if such an organism would spend its entire life in irrational emotional fear because of a scientific mistake. That is why I don't support DNA experiments.

[Art]

I understand Ivan.

What if you, after all these years, suddenly found out that you were part of an experiment and that you were actually a synthetic human, one of the first. What if it was you?

Suddenly, everything in your life would take on new or different meanings. The people that raised and cared for you, all your childhood experiences, your moods, manners, emotions, your structure, genetics, etc. everything about you! You wondered why you've never had a cold or illness and why your school grades were always at the top of the class.

Because you were engineered from the cellular level.

Stuff of science fiction? Perhaps not at all.

What if the DNA could be altered so that no child was born with a debilitating illness or condition? What if it was your child? What if your wife could have the cellular DNA modified so that your child would be born as a bright and normal child instead of a crippled one? Would you not take the risk?

These and other questions have great moral, medical, ethical and in some cases religious implications as to whether such procedures should or would be allowed.

What if it was you?