November 25, 2004

What Is Too Human? The ethics of human/animal chimeras.
posted by homunculus 20 years ago
  • The use of genetically modified critters, or parts of genetically modified animals, always makes me recall Cordwainer Smith's writing, where modified mouse brains and so forth are commonplace.
  • Bees may I steal part of that for another obnoxious tagline> Monkeyfilter: where modified mouse brains and so forth are commonplace
  • Huh. Creepy. Usually I just say "If the brain is human, you're human. Everything else is peripheral." But the bits about mice with semi human brains are a bit of a doozy. What's your opinion, homunculus? Your name is appropriate for the topic.
  • What's your opinion, homunculus? Roof! Roof! Oh, roof! Roof! Roof?
  • It's like the Uncanny Valley of biomedical ethics.
  • Would diminished human beings enjoy diminished human rights? If my speeding hovercraft accidentally runs down an Epsilon-Minus, would I be guilty of undermanslaughter? Or subject to 60% of a manslaughter penalty?
  • It is my contention that only sentience is the mark of 'humanity' - which does not in itself denote a genetic status, but a state of consciousness. If we were to make contact with a non-human sentient extraterrestrial race (which will happen sooner or later, if we survive long enough) are we to regard them as unworthy of human rights? I would regard any species capable of self-awareness & intelligence to be granted this. Genetic modification of animals does not make them human.
  • goetter don't worry about it. Starting at 8 weeks the epsilons minuses get "I like it when the alphas hit me" four hundred times a day.
  • Ban them!
  • Is this why my cat drinks coffee?
  • I take it that the President isn’t planning to put every Type I Diabetic in America into hypoglycemic shock. It's a good point he's making, but I and my fellow Type I's would be in hyperglycemic shock without our Humulin, not hypoglycemic shock.