From: Zenarchy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Mon Dec 07 1998 - 23:32:47 MST
From: Ken Meyering <ken@define.com>
>How do you feel about a genetically engineered labor force?
Hmmm.... Do you have one?
Whooops! Silly me. You mean how do I feel about a *hypothetical* genetically
engineered labor force, of course.
I've sat here for two minutes (honest), and my feelings swing from revulsion
to mild paranoid anxiety to ennui to resignation and back to revulsion.
I think genetic engineering will probably happen. I think initially the
impetus of genetic engineering will center on creating exceptional talent,
high IQ, improved immune systems, increased longevity and the like. All
aimed at the betterment of the whole human race.
But then, naturally, the question will arise, "Who will do the dirty work?"
This prompts me to recall Bob Black's book _The Abolition of Work_. Rather
than engineer intellectually challenged workers, I think scientists will
study ways to eliminate the need for labor.
Sincerely, I feel very negative about a genetically engineered *labor
force*. Instead of producing more workers, I think we should eliminate work.
If we can't figure out how to eliminate work, then we should genetically
engineer super-intelligent brains to figure it out for us.
Would these super smarties constitute a labor force? No, no... they'd join
the staff, they'd become part of the faculty, they'd rule rather than labor.
I don't object at all to genetic engineering, Ken. But I think we ought to
do all we can to eliminate the need for a labor force by eliminating labor.
"Workers of the world, relax."
--Bob Black
With successful genetic engineering the world might raise itself to such a
level that no one would any longer have the stupid desire to govern others.
So genetic engineering could help to eliminate government as well as labor.
Like the man said, "First kill all the lawyers."
Then I'd feel much better about it, because then genetic engineering
wouldn't fall into the wrong hands, namely government's. If politicians
control the direction of genetic engineering, then we'll have robots coming
out of the labs. If reasonable scientists have control, then we can expect
sanity to reign.
-zen
PS: How do you feel about a genetically engineered illuminati?
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