Brave New World

I suppose that we are messing about with nature all the time when we undertake interventions - transplants and IVF, as you say, also drugs to cure diseases, contraception, blood transfusions, surgery, vaccinations, anaesthesia (and pain relief in childbirth was once thought unnatural - "in pain shalt thou travail and bring forth children" - Queen Victoria decided that she was not amused by suffering in her first seven deliveries and took chloroform during her eighth)

Was this about the "gene editing"? I swung from one opinion to another watching an item on the news about this.

A man said his brother was now in a totally helpless state in the final stages of Huntingdon's Disease, his father had died of it and he also had the faulty gene and would develop it. He said it was too late for him but this sort of research would help those who come after him.

Then I heard someone interviewed who said it would open the door to even further inequality because some people would have access to these techniques but many others would not.

I tend to think that we shouldn't mess about too much with nature but I suppose many branches of science and medicine do just that - organ (and even face) transplants, IVF, etc., etc.

I'm undecided.

I can see this being a matter of huge controversy.

I would not like to be in a world of designer humans - I would probably be designed to cleans loos!

I think we can also recognise that most of 1984 is now part of everyday life. Is it a good thing to do something like this just because we can? ?

Oh I meant to say (I really am getti g old!) The Chinese have altered the DNA on human embryo. Just like they did in Brave New World to produce a particular type of human. Some dimmer to do repetitious work others brighter etc.

DD recently designed a production of "Brave New World" which may well still be touring near some of you and so much of what Huxley wrote in the 30's has indeed become commonplace these days

No link