The Wild Ethics Of Human Genetic Enhancement - Dr Jonathan Anomaly

Dr Jonathan Anomaly is a philosopher who writes about the social implications of emerging biotechnologies, teaches classes in ethics and game theory, and helped design the Philosophy, Politics and Economics program at Duke University. The ability to select from potential embryos is already here. Soon, we will be able to select for height, intelligence, personality types, moral disposition, athletic ability and maybe even enhance traits which aren't present. This creates a vortex of complex ethics around one of the most contentious topics on the internet - genetics. So I decided to dive in. Expect to learn just what the current technology of embryo selection can achieve right now, whether opting to not genetically enhance your child is an unethical practise, the dangers of creating massive societal inequality, why you are already a eugenicist, whether genetic interventions are morally different from environmental ones and much more... Sponsors: Get 10% discount on all Gymshark’s products at https://bit.ly/sharkwisdom (use code: MW10) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first box at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout) Get 10% discount on your first month from BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Check out Dr Anomaly's website - https://jonathan-anomaly.com/ Read Dr Anomaly's papers - https://philpapers.org/ Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #genetics #heritability #ethics - 00:00 Intro 00:40 What We Misunderstand About Eugenics 08:58 The Difference Between Eugenics & Genetic Enhancement 17:43 The Morals of IVF & Genetic Variants 28:18 Societal Objections to Eugenics 33:21 Are Genetic Interventions Morally Different to Environmental Interventions? 38:37 What Are Our Current Genetic Enhancement Capabilities? 42:50 Are Human Males Redundant? 54:54 The Most Desirable Characteristics to Enhance 1:04:50 Will People Be Able to Select for Attractiveness? 1:17:16 Possible Negative Impacts of Eugenics on Society 1:28:43 Will Eugenics Create a Higher Class? 1:35:35 The Reality of Behavioural Genetics & Heritability 1:39:47 Is it Our Moral Obligation to Have Children? 1:51:39 Where to Find Dr Anomaly - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Dr Jonathan AnomalyguestChris Williamsonhost

Mar 5, 20231h 52mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

The Coming Genetic Arms Race: Ethics, Inequality, And Human Futures

Dr. Jonathan Anomaly and Chris Williamson explore the ethics, history, and future of eugenics and genetic enhancement, arguing that much of what we already do in mate choice is effectively informal eugenics. They explain how technologies like IVF, embryo selection, polygenic risk scores, and future methods such as in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) could allow parents to select for traits like health, intelligence, and personality at unprecedented precision and scale. Anomaly contends that the real moral line is not between environment and genes, or between ‘eugenics’ and ‘enhancement,’ but between voluntary, welfare-promoting uses and coercive, abusive ones. They also warn that these technologies will amplify existing genetic and social inequalities, potentially drive societal stratification or even speciation, and collide head‑on with blank-slate political ideologies and collapsing birth rates in wealthy societies.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Eugenics in practice already exists through mate choice and reproductive decisions.

Anomaly defines eugenics broadly as using knowledge of heredity to shape offspring traits, noting that sexual selection, mate preferences, and existing IVF screening are all forms of ‘soft’ eugenics long predating explicit genetic technologies.

Embryo selection with polygenic scores is already technically possible for many traits.

Using genome-wide association studies and polygenic risk scores, clinics can now rank embryos for risks of diseases (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, schizophrenia) and probabilistic traits like height and cognitive ability, allowing parents to choose embryos with substantially different life prospects.

Voluntary, welfare-enhancing genetic choices differ morally from coercive state programs.

Anomaly stresses that the crucial ethical line is between parents using options to improve their children’s welfare versus governments imposing sterilizations, bans, or mass ‘improvements’; he argues the Nazi analogy is misapplied to contemporary, consent-based enhancement.

Genetic and social inequality will likely increase, but bans may worsen it.

Assortative mating by intelligence and education is already concentrating genetic advantages; adding genetic tech will accelerate this. Outright bans would mainly push access into elite black markets, so he favors regulated access and subsidies to help ‘genetically poor’ families catch up.

Environmental and genetic interventions are ethically analogous when outcomes are similar.

The discussion likens choosing against low-IQ embryos to preventing prenatal brain damage from lead or alcohol: both are irreversible, life-shaping interventions, so privileging environment as ‘natural’ while demonizing genes is often just a naturalistic fallacy.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Eugenics, in the broadest sense, is any attempt to harness the knowledge that we have about heredity to influence the traits of our kids.

— Jonathan Anomaly

We're already getting increasing genetic inequalities in the West without any of this technology. What’ll the technology do? It’ll accelerate those inequalities.

— Jonathan Anomaly

The decision to refrain from [embryo gene editing] is itself a form of either eugenics or genetic enhancement.

— Jonathan Anomaly

All new technology is a toy for the rich until it’s not.

— Jonathan Anomaly

The decision to do nothing is a decision to shape future humans in very specific ways, whether you like it or not.

— Jonathan Anomaly

Historical and conceptual foundations of eugenics and behavioral geneticsCurrent and emerging technologies: IVF, embryo selection, polygenic risk scores, CRISPR, and IVGMoral distinctions: voluntary vs coercive eugenics; enhancement vs environmental interventionGenetic inequality, assortative mating, and potential future human speciationCultural and political resistance: blank-slate ideology, ‘woke’ critiques, and cognitive dissonanceTrait selection priorities: intelligence, personality, health, attractiveness, and their trade-offsDemographic collapse, liberalism’s instability, and pro-natalist cultural futures

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