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Genetically engineered caste system?
Oh yes! Genetically engineer each person for their place. 5%  5%  [ 1 ]
Genetically engineering people is a terrible idea. 37%  37%  [ 7 ]
I don't know what to think 11%  11%  [ 2 ]
I would want to genetically engineer all people to be about the same 11%  11%  [ 2 ]
I would want to genetically engineer all people to be like AG 21%  21%  [ 4 ]
Let me see the results. 16%  16%  [ 3 ]
Total votes : 19

Awesomelyglorious
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02 Mar 2009, 9:49 pm

An interesting consequence of eugenics is the notion of a genetically engineered caste system.

Some benefits of a eugenic caste system are the following:

*Division of talents such to create efficient division of labor
*Talent for specific tasks can be radically increased, to allow for better performance
*Individuals will work better together as personality can be tailored for a job
*Our social systems are not limited by human nature, but can be any theoretical variation

Some disadvantages can also be put forward:

*Lack of convertability between groups
*Lack of flexibility for changing situations
*Can be seen as leading to inhumanity

Are you for or against a genetically engineered caste system? If you were to create a caste system, what would the categories be, and on what basis would those be the categories.



notbrianna
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02 Mar 2009, 10:01 pm

So when certain tasks become obsolete due to new technology what happens to the now obsolete people?



twoshots
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02 Mar 2009, 10:16 pm

A place for everyone and everyone in their place :twisted:

While some degree of engineering may be plausible, a highly specialized caste system probably wouldn't; it sounds like it'd suffer from inefficiencies of the type seen in centralized command economies. The lack of versatility would be too great.


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Sand
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02 Mar 2009, 10:27 pm

It works great for ants and bees and termites if you'd like to be one of those.



Awesomelyglorious
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02 Mar 2009, 10:34 pm

twoshots wrote:
A place for everyone and everyone in their place :twisted:

While some degree of engineering may be plausible, a highly specialized caste system probably wouldn't; it sounds like it'd suffer from inefficiencies of the type seen in centralized command economies. The lack of versatility would be too great.

Aren't a lot of the inefficiencies seen in centralized command economies based upon human variability though?



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02 Mar 2009, 10:38 pm

Awesomelyglorious wrote:
twoshots wrote:
A place for everyone and everyone in their place :twisted:

While some degree of engineering may be plausible, a highly specialized caste system probably wouldn't; it sounds like it'd suffer from inefficiencies of the type seen in centralized command economies. The lack of versatility would be too great.

Aren't a lot of the inefficiencies seen in centralized command economies based upon human variability though?

Yes, they are. You could probably engineer the "New Soviet Man" and finally make communism work.


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Sand
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02 Mar 2009, 10:43 pm

Wasn't all this discussed thoroughly years ago in Huxley's "Brave New World"?



twoshots
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02 Mar 2009, 10:48 pm

Orwell wrote:
Awesomelyglorious wrote:
twoshots wrote:
A place for everyone and everyone in their place :twisted:

While some degree of engineering may be plausible, a highly specialized caste system probably wouldn't; it sounds like it'd suffer from inefficiencies of the type seen in centralized command economies. The lack of versatility would be too great.

Aren't a lot of the inefficiencies seen in centralized command economies based upon human variability though?

Yes, they are. You could probably engineer the "New Soviet Man" and finally make communism work.

Excellent. Dent will be so pleased.☭


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Awesomelyglorious
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02 Mar 2009, 10:51 pm

Sand wrote:
Wasn't all this discussed thoroughly years ago in Huxley's "Brave New World"?

Ideas for castes can vary though. Huxley chose overall talent and the stunting of societal growth, we could choose specialized talent and the maximization of societal growth, or any other goals.



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02 Mar 2009, 10:59 pm

Sand wrote:
It works great for ants and bees and termites if you'd like to be one of those.

Is there not something beautiful in the harmony, order, and cooperation of collectivized insects? The level of coordination they achieve is staggering, especially given their limited intelligence as compared to humans.


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Sand
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02 Mar 2009, 11:04 pm

Awesomelyglorious wrote:
Sand wrote:
Wasn't all this discussed thoroughly years ago in Huxley's "Brave New World"?

Ideas for castes can vary though. Huxley chose overall talent and the stunting of societal growth, we could choose specialized talent and the maximization of societal growth, or any other goals.


But the glory of humanity is the cross insemination of ideas and capabilities to fertilize new directions. Any prescribed categorization of humanity violates this great human potential and stunts or destroys the wide open unpredictable modifications of people and societies, a stunting characteristic of totalitarian societies and religions. If this stunting were to become genetic it would be a disaster for humanity where creativity must remain unpredictable to maintain its dynamics.



Awesomelyglorious
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02 Mar 2009, 11:10 pm

Sand wrote:
But the glory of humanity is the cross insemination of ideas and capabilities to fertilize new directions. Any prescribed categorization of humanity violates this great human potential and stunts or destroys the wide open unpredictable modifications of people and societies, a stunting characteristic of totalitarian societies and religions. If this stunting were to become genetic it would be a disaster for humanity where creativity must remain unpredictable to maintain its dynamics.

So... you are a libertarian transhumanist, who wants genetic alterations to become more and more variate, so that way more new directions are created? Even perhaps cat-people?



twoshots
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02 Mar 2009, 11:12 pm

Awesomelyglorious wrote:
Sand wrote:
But the glory of humanity is the cross insemination of ideas and capabilities to fertilize new directions. Any prescribed categorization of humanity violates this great human potential and stunts or destroys the wide open unpredictable modifications of people and societies, a stunting characteristic of totalitarian societies and religions. If this stunting were to become genetic it would be a disaster for humanity where creativity must remain unpredictable to maintain its dynamics.

So... you are a libertarian transhumanist, who wants genetic alterations to become more and more variate, so that way more new directions are created? Even perhaps cat-people?

Oooh parahumans. I've never understood why people are so averse to them.


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Awesomelyglorious
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02 Mar 2009, 11:14 pm

notbrianna wrote:
So when certain tasks become obsolete due to new technology what happens to the now obsolete people?

I dunno. That goes into social structure issues beyond, but *very* relevant to the topic. There are multiple possible answers.



Sand
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02 Mar 2009, 11:21 pm

I wonder what is so much more unattractive about cat people than human termites. Humanity became a dominant species by widening its spectrum of adaptability. Contracting that successful ability seems to me to be a dead end. Each human has many possibilities of development. Increasing those possibilities and adjusting the adaptability of society to accommodate those enlarged capabilities should be a positive change.



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03 Mar 2009, 4:23 am

I would want to genetically engineer all people to be like AG.


well, the caste system resulting from this, would be the problem, especially if not all are genetically engineer, we will have then, people who are born naturally, seen as inferior, though if the means for reproduction is through genetically engineer only and not by natural means, then that would be different I suppose.


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