If you could choose your child's genetics, what would you choose?

i didn't pick the physical options.. they can look however in terms of muscularity (and i'd pick an option for them not to have deformed genitals rather than the option you have on there)

But sure, immunity to cancer? Immunity to a metabolism that guarantees fatness? Good eyesight? Seem like things that aren't really changing who the person is...just adding benefits

oh i also picked high intelligence. Maybe that is changing things a bit, but hey, I don't see a downside..

 

High Intelligence. I would pick immune to cancer but were all going to die someday.

 

I don't buy that argument. I mean, cancer is a more painful death (at least going through the treatments and all) than a lot of other things--especially a natural death (usually). If you could avoid a likely painful death, I would think that would be worth it.

 

I only chose one.. None of the above.

I am not a "strict" religious person, but I have known people of all types that I care about so I could care less what my child looked like or how smart they were.

I'd just want them as healthy as possible, and that wasn't one of the options.

 

my child is a product of me and my wife, though we have our imperfections, i wouldnt change a thing

and on a ethical basis, if this technology is realized (its not, dont believe what you see/read), it'll be used for evil, not for good of mankind

 

I'd go with all of the above.

And to those that choose none of the above? My future sci-kid can beat up your future sci-kid.

I hope you don't feel too bad when your sci-kid comes crying to you, asking why you let him be so so so incredibly stupid.

 

Not sure why I picked high intelligence, because every kid of mine is a guaranteed genius.

I also picked the cancer thing, because they could almost be superheros by saving people from melting nuclear reactors and such.

 

I wouldn't like it. The only reason I would do it is if everyone else in my social standing did it and my potential kid could fall behind if I didn't.

I get the feeling that by choosing these special powers that he/she wouldn't be my biological kid anymore.

The situation would be no different than coming from a random sausage, but at least with that circumstance, you'd know where the meat came from if you were really determined.

 

I'd screw with everything, why not?

 

But most of the choices are superficial. Where's the perfect health button in the list?

Immunity to cancer is great, but what about immunity to all the other diseases. And whose to say that a battle with cancer wouldn't make them a stronger person.

All of the things that a person goes through makes them who they are... would I want life to be easy for my child? No way. You are forged to be who you are through adversity.

Would I want it to be easier, absolute, but who's to say that any of those things on the list would make life easier.

 

My father passed from cancer a few years ago. That's the only thing I'd pick.

 

But who's to say that a battle with cancer wouldn't kill him/her?

Given a very strong possibility like that, it seems odd that you (who would choose "perfect health") are willing to sacrifice the immunity in hopes that if cancer shows up, the child beats it AND it makes them a stronger person (rather than leaving them affected negatively...either slightly or very strongly...both also possibilities)

 

So one of the choices here basically gives humanity the option to wipe out cancer completely. I'd say that's a positive thing in the long run. The general population explosion in the short run might be hard to deal with, but long term a society without cancer would be pretty special. Think about the billions and billions of dollars in treatment/research/drugs etc. that could be put to other uses.

 

none...this creeps me out.

 

This was an interesting book where genetic manipulation was real. The one the book focused on was removing the need for sleep. So these people were three times as productive because they never needed rest and so they got better than a lot of others in society. And then the resulting backlash.

 

It shouldn't. No more so than a Polio vaccination.

 

WTF? Who wants a daughter with huge knockers?

 

Jessica Simpson's dad.