Re: CULTURE: Heightism

From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net)
Date: Mon May 06 2002 - 19:58:00 MDT


Michael M. Butler wrote:

>>>http://www.iht.com/articles/56780.htm
>>>
>>>Puts a new perspective (for me, at least) on the genomics debate.
>>>
>>Slightly more readable version at
>>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/05/international/asia/05LEGS.html
>
> _Less_ readable if one dilikes the nytimes authorization-login process, I
> assume.
> What specifically was hard to read about the IHT piece?

Required JavaScript, and was broken across multiple pages. (Didn't see
the printer-friendly link when I first saw it, but that's still one more
click. But I usually surf with JavaScript off, in part to disable popup
ads.)

> 2) If people are putting themselves through months (years) of grief, and
> significant odds of being crippled, to get the "advantage"--we have a clear
> indication of the likely willingness to splice stuff in to oneself, provided
> one can get away with it.

Which is why I put more stock in efforts to improve people through
cybernetics than through germline mods: upgrades to already-born people
mean that people can voluntarily decide to get upgraded, and pay for it
with their own money. (Imagine how many rich people would pay to grant
immortality to their offspring, vs. how many more would for themselves.)



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