Writer's Block: Copy that

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I've thought about it, and there's really no good reason to clone whole humans. I mean, why would you ever need to?

Are you trying to replace a loved one? A clone is only a physical copy. They are only genetically identical to the original. It's like having a twin born several years later. Twins have different personalities, preferences, and experiences are clearly not the same people, and neither are clones. Frankly, using a clone to replace a loved one, even a pet, is only going to make you feel worse as the absolute loss of the original becomes all the more obvious.

Are you trying to make a a superior human race by cloning people with the best genes? First off, good luck, Hitler; that sort of social and genetic manipulation is considered highly unethical and is not going to fly in modern society. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, clones are genetically weaker than their originals because they start off with DNA that has already begun to age. Your clones may be superior humans for a while, but they might have trouble reproducing naturally and will likely have shorter lifespans. So, not really so superior, eh?

Conversely, are you considering creating a class of sub-human slaves? Once again, you're going to hit massive ethical roadblocks, and considering we're already turning against enslaving groups of people who look dissimilar to us, how the heck do you think we can justify enslaving people who are exact copies? You'd run into all sorts of Bladerunner-esque difficulties in differentiating the originals from the copies, and as clones are real people (whose genes were just pulled directly from another being instead of the mix created by sex) even the memory-implant thing won't help you out.

Are you doing it just because you can? Here's a piece of wisdom for you I find quite profound: Just because you can do something doesn't mean you ought to. I think it's fascinating that we're reached a level of scientific achievement that cloning humans is a possibility; however, raw science needs to be evaluated for its relevance to society. Do we need clones? We are doing just fine with normal sexual reproduction-- frankly, we already have an overpopulation problem as it is. Barring evolutionary changes that cease sexual reproduction a la Children of Men, we have no need for cloning to assist us. Furthermore, cloning is inferior to sexual reproduction because it smothers the natural diversity borne of sex. We would have less genetic diversity and be more vulnerable as a species to the physical and mental dysfunctions you see in groups with high levels of incest. Also, the possibility of weaker genetics means that, like the visual quality of an old home video, the clones' genes (and ability to reproduce) might start to disintegrate after being copied a few times.

HOWEVER, I am in favor of cloning organs and tissue for medical purposes. That sort of cloning is highly relevant and beneficial for society. If we can simply create a proper organ from scratch (ie: a pool of donated cells, tissues, or a full donated organ) without having to find a donor, check for matches, and cut through all the red tape in a very small amount of time, we could save a lot of people's lives and prevent a lot of misery. Plus, livers and hearts don't reproduce; the individual would go on to reproduce their original genetic material and the copied organ would have no effect on anything.

Speaking of ethically-questionable human-reproducing activities . . .

( Have You Heard of Roxxxy? )

Writer's Block: Copy that

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I've thought about it, and there's really no good reason to clone whole humans. I mean, why would you ever need to?

Are you trying to replace a loved one? A clone is only a physical copy. They are only genetically identical to the original. It's like having a twin born several years later. Twins have different personalities, preferences, and experiences are clearly not the same people, and neither are clones. Frankly, using a clone to replace a loved one, even a pet, is only going to make you feel worse as the absolute loss of the original becomes all the more obvious.

Are you trying to make a a superior human race by cloning people with the best genes? First off, good luck, Hitler; that sort of social and genetic manipulation is considered highly unethical and is not going to fly in modern society. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, clones are genetically weaker than their originals because they start off with DNA that has already begun to age. Your clones may be superior humans for a while, but they might have trouble reproducing naturally and will likely have shorter lifespans. So, not really so superior, eh?

Conversely, are you considering creating a class of sub-human slaves? Once again, you're going to hit massive ethical roadblocks, and considering we're already turning against enslaving groups of people who look dissimilar to us, how the heck do you think we can justify enslaving people who are exact copies? You'd run into all sorts of Bladerunner-esque difficulties in differentiating the originals from the copies, and as clones are real people (whose genes were just pulled directly from another being instead of the mix created by sex) even the memory-implant thing won't help you out.

Are you doing it just because you can? Here's a piece of wisdom for you I find quite profound: Just because you can do something doesn't mean you ought to. I think it's fascinating that we're reached a level of scientific achievement that cloning humans is a possibility; however, raw science needs to be evaluated for its relevance to society. Do we need clones? We are doing just fine with normal sexual reproduction-- frankly, we already have an overpopulation problem as it is. Barring evolutionary changes that cease sexual reproduction a la Children of Men, we have no need for cloning to assist us. Furthermore, cloning is inferior to sexual reproduction because it smothers the natural diversity borne of sex. We would have less genetic diversity and be more vulnerable as a species to the physical and mental dysfunctions you see in groups with high levels of incest. Also, the possibility of weaker genetics means that, like the visual quality of an old home video, the clones' genes (and ability to reproduce) might start to disintegrate after being copied a few times.

HOWEVER, I am in favor of cloning organs and tissue for medical purposes. That sort of cloning is highly relevant and beneficial for society. If we can simply create a proper organ from scratch (ie: a pool of donated cells, tissues, or a full donated organ) without having to find a donor, check for matches, and cut through all the red tape in a very small amount of time, we could save a lot of people's lives and prevent a lot of misery. Plus, livers and hearts don't reproduce; the individual would go on to reproduce their original genetic material and the copied organ would have no effect on anything.

Speaking of ethically-questionable human-reproducing activities . . .

( Have You Heard of Roxxxy? )