Transcript Glenn McGee, 'Parenting in an Era of Genetics,'

Glenn McGee,
"Parenting in an Era
of Genetics,"
Lawrence M. Hinman, Ph.D.
University of San Diego
7/17/2015
Director, The Values Institute
©Lawrence M. Hinman
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Source
Glenn McGee,
"Parenting in an
Era of Genetics,"
Hastings Center
Report Vol. 27,
no. 2 (1997): 1622
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©Lawrence M. Hinman
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The Five Deadly Sins
“The road to enhancement is paved with
some deadly and not-so-deadly sins that
all parents and social stewards ought to
learn to avoid…:
 calculativeness,
 overbearingness,
 shortsightedness,
 hasty judgment, and
 pessimism
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©Lawrence M. Hinman
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The Sin of Calculativeness

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“We commit the sin of calculativeness when we
overemphasize the importance of planning and
systematic choices in parenthood.”
“Calculativeness is as much impractical as it is
immoral.”
“The sin is in understanding a child to be the
result of systematic choices, and thus allowing
genetic choices to define the child's telos. The
faith that genetic enhancements can alter
character (removing homosexuality or increasing
thoughtfulness) lends itself to a parenthood of
oppressive control.”
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©Lawrence M. Hinman
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The Sin of Being Overbearing
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Premise: “a child's right to be open
to as much freedom of identity as
possible.”
“Overbearing parents can reduce the
child to an instrument of their own
ambitions or insecurities.”
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©Lawrence M. Hinman
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The Sin of Shortsightedness
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“What will the next decade, a mere ten years in
the life of a child, hold in store? If you think you
know, odds are you have a shortsightedness
problem. Which is fine, unless it becomes the
basis for designing your descendants.”
“Genetic diversity has tremendous value because
it provides the opportunity for those of many
hereditary backgrounds to employ differing
approaches toward maximization of the potential
of a given environment.”
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©Lawrence M. Hinman
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The Sin of Hasty Judgment
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“A child who is engineered to possess positive
traits might end up suffering unexpected and
disastrous ills. It is extremely dangerous to move
too quickly in the direction of changing human
traits, lest we forget to control, or forget that we
can't control, for the vast variety of human
environmental conditions.”
“The genetically enhanced tomato was delicious
and tender when raised in lab conditions, but
turned out to taste rubbery in real life…. A perfect
child would find the world of imperfection,
disease, disasters, and emotions deadly or
unsatisfying.”
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©Lawrence M. Hinman
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The Sin of Pessimism
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“Thus while caution is intelligent, we
need not treat genetics as a radically
different endeavor, a slippery slope
to biological castes and
Frankenstein.”
“If pessimism is sinful, though,
abject optimism is not its antidote.”
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