Listen now | Join Malcolm and Simone as they delve into why the right must win the 'genetic war' and how their views diverge from traditional transhumanism.
Not even 4 minutes in and I disagree with Malcolm's idea about "cultural sovereignty". Would you also say the same about cultures that circumcise girls? We call that FGM, female genital mutilation. Jewish people can maintain their cultural sovereignty without MGM. There are a million more consentual and non-violent traditions and practices that are unique to Judaism and Jewish culture that Jews can freely and safely partake in. Besides, most Jews are not orthodox and they still circumcise. Heck, even secular, non-religious and atheist Jews are circumcised and circumcise their kids so it's not even a religious observance at that point.
When the Hebrew people lived in an ancient desert without abundant water sources circumcision may have helped to keep boys and men clean and free of infection but there is just no need for it now.
Now about the, and I quote, "7 feet tall, ultra-fit, ultra-intelligent". Basically you are saying that "families" will select for more or less the same things. However in the comments under the Youtube video Simone says you guys are all about "variation". I don't see your vision as varied. Sure, you say families can select for whatever they want, but will they? What if they all want the same things? It sounds to me like you think they will want the same things with maybe some variation in insignificant factors like hair or eye color, just for a aesthetic variety. Other than that, humans will be cookie cutter ultra-fit, ultra-intelligent 7 footers.
Then there's the question of who will even have access to this technology in the first place, because you know it won't be cheap. Are you thinking of some sort of socialized, universal access or what? You say the Left's approach to Transhumanism/Eugenics was to force sterilization onto other groups but the Right's approach will be an "opt-in" amongst the in-group/families, so... how would that work exactly - financially speaking.
The USA is the "richest country on Earth" and yet still does not have universal health care for its citizens - and that's just for basic medical check-ups, nothing elaborate like you're describing here. That being the case, how do you envision this Transhuman/Eugenics future playing out for Americans who may want to participate?
Of course I would say the same of cultures that circumcise girls. If it is not providing utility it is up to those moms to stop the practice if it turns out that (as I suspect is the case) those that choose to stop the practice also have way fewer kids then we know it has utility.
We reputedly argue families don't select for the same things and we have abundant evidence of this from sperm donor studies. Families select kids like them. Very intrested in where you got that impression. Even with mental performance some optimize around math skills, some creativity, some verbal intelligence, some work ethic, etc.
And how does all this get paid for? You didn't answer that question.
I suggest you do some research into FGM. It is very unsafe, unhealthy, extremely risky/dangerous and people even die from it. Those that grow into adulthood report continuous pain and health problems throughout their lives. You call that utility? It's not practiced for the utility of havng more babies. It is practiced because they believe the clitorous (and sometimes the labia majora and minora, depending on what type of FGM is performed) are things that will compel a female to run around having sex with multiple men before and after marriage. Which if were the case, would provide more of your "utility". And if MGM as still practiced by Jews and Muslims provides the "utility" of more kids - why are both those demographics trending down, down, down with each successive generation? Israel being the current exception here bolsters my point. As stated in my original comment, the utility of MGM during ancient times in desert regions was hygiene and less infection. There is no utility of GM in today's world.
In fact, due to all the nerve endings in the clitorous and foreskin, intact females and males both report greater sexual satisfaction than non-intact. Women also report greater sexual satisfaction from intact male partners. Greater sexual satisfaction inspires people to have more sex which usually results in more kids overall.
You need to rethink all of this.
(And another friendly reminder to share your vision of the financial plan for Americans who may choose the transhuman route for their offspring.)
Not even 4 minutes in and I disagree with Malcolm's idea about "cultural sovereignty". Would you also say the same about cultures that circumcise girls? We call that FGM, female genital mutilation. Jewish people can maintain their cultural sovereignty without MGM. There are a million more consentual and non-violent traditions and practices that are unique to Judaism and Jewish culture that Jews can freely and safely partake in. Besides, most Jews are not orthodox and they still circumcise. Heck, even secular, non-religious and atheist Jews are circumcised and circumcise their kids so it's not even a religious observance at that point.
When the Hebrew people lived in an ancient desert without abundant water sources circumcision may have helped to keep boys and men clean and free of infection but there is just no need for it now.
Now about the, and I quote, "7 feet tall, ultra-fit, ultra-intelligent". Basically you are saying that "families" will select for more or less the same things. However in the comments under the Youtube video Simone says you guys are all about "variation". I don't see your vision as varied. Sure, you say families can select for whatever they want, but will they? What if they all want the same things? It sounds to me like you think they will want the same things with maybe some variation in insignificant factors like hair or eye color, just for a aesthetic variety. Other than that, humans will be cookie cutter ultra-fit, ultra-intelligent 7 footers.
Then there's the question of who will even have access to this technology in the first place, because you know it won't be cheap. Are you thinking of some sort of socialized, universal access or what? You say the Left's approach to Transhumanism/Eugenics was to force sterilization onto other groups but the Right's approach will be an "opt-in" amongst the in-group/families, so... how would that work exactly - financially speaking.
The USA is the "richest country on Earth" and yet still does not have universal health care for its citizens - and that's just for basic medical check-ups, nothing elaborate like you're describing here. That being the case, how do you envision this Transhuman/Eugenics future playing out for Americans who may want to participate?
Of course I would say the same of cultures that circumcise girls. If it is not providing utility it is up to those moms to stop the practice if it turns out that (as I suspect is the case) those that choose to stop the practice also have way fewer kids then we know it has utility.
We reputedly argue families don't select for the same things and we have abundant evidence of this from sperm donor studies. Families select kids like them. Very intrested in where you got that impression. Even with mental performance some optimize around math skills, some creativity, some verbal intelligence, some work ethic, etc.
And how does all this get paid for? You didn't answer that question.
I suggest you do some research into FGM. It is very unsafe, unhealthy, extremely risky/dangerous and people even die from it. Those that grow into adulthood report continuous pain and health problems throughout their lives. You call that utility? It's not practiced for the utility of havng more babies. It is practiced because they believe the clitorous (and sometimes the labia majora and minora, depending on what type of FGM is performed) are things that will compel a female to run around having sex with multiple men before and after marriage. Which if were the case, would provide more of your "utility". And if MGM as still practiced by Jews and Muslims provides the "utility" of more kids - why are both those demographics trending down, down, down with each successive generation? Israel being the current exception here bolsters my point. As stated in my original comment, the utility of MGM during ancient times in desert regions was hygiene and less infection. There is no utility of GM in today's world.
In fact, due to all the nerve endings in the clitorous and foreskin, intact females and males both report greater sexual satisfaction than non-intact. Women also report greater sexual satisfaction from intact male partners. Greater sexual satisfaction inspires people to have more sex which usually results in more kids overall.
You need to rethink all of this.
(And another friendly reminder to share your vision of the financial plan for Americans who may choose the transhuman route for their offspring.)