Re: MD The Quality of Genetic Engineering.

From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sun Mar 23 2003 - 21:50:47 GMT

  • Next message: Wim Nusselder: "Re: MD Pirsig's conception of ritual"

    > Platt quotes Pirsig:
    >
    > >from Chapter 24 of "Lila."
    > >
    > >"And this is a war in which intellect, to end the paralysis of society,
    > >has to know whose side it is on, and support that side, never undercut it.
    > >Where biological values are undermining social values, intellectuals must
    > >identify social behavior, no matter what its ethnic connection, and
    > >support it all the way without restraint. Intellectuals must find
    > >biological behavior, no matter what its ethnic connection, and limit or
    > >destroy destructive biological patterns with complete moral ruthlessness,
    > >the way a doctor destroys germs, before those biological patterns destroy
    > >civilization itself."
    > >
    > >For me, this is "the Quality of removing Saddam Hussein."

    > How does this relate to cloning and genetic engineering? This seems to
    > imply that all aspects of biology should be socially controlled, including
    > our notoriously wantonly wild reproduction.

    Society attempts to control "wantonly wild reproduction" by a number of
    patterns including and most importantly marriage and laws pertaining to
    domestic relations.

    > But because this puts the
    > power of propagation of the species in the hands of a few social scientists
    > and government regulated labs, could government control of reproduction
    > become a social level institution undermining the intellectual concept of
    > human freedom to reproduce naturally without any approval? Or is human
    > freedom a biological level phenomenon?

    Human freedom is an intellectual level pattern designed to block the
    bloody power of the social "Giant." Any power granted to or grabbed by
    the social pattern of government threatens individual freedom.

    Platt

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