Presentation: Devin
Beyond 43-46... (47-50 below*)
1. The American obsession with abortion distracts US policy from what?
2. Why does assisted reproduction in America get less oversight than many other areas?
3. What ingredients have made the US a destination for hypercontrolling parents?
4. Preselecting _____ traits is no longer the stuff of sci-fi.
5. What's an example of "negative enhancement"?
6. What did Richard Lewontin say about race and genetics?
7. What is the "appeal" of linking race to medical and scientific progress?
8. Racial narratives are always about what?
9. What's the most obvious potential problem raised by the Genographic Project?
10. Docs who use race as a diagnostic "shortcut" are blind to what, and have their attention diverted from what?
7. What is the "appeal" of linking race to medical and scientific progress?
8. Racial narratives are always about what?
9. What's the most obvious potential problem raised by the Genographic Project?
10. Docs who use race as a diagnostic "shortcut" are blind to what, and have their attention diverted from what?
Future
- What was MacA's mentor Parfit's primary moral concern? What new area of moral philosophy did it inspire? What'ss Parfit's (and MacA's) central claim? 168-9
- What is the intuition of neutrality? What observation does MacA say contradicts it? 171-2
- What do sci-fi time travel scenarios like Back to the Future often suppose, and what do they rarely consider? What's an example of how we radically change the course of history? 174-5
- What is the Repugnant Conclusion? The Dominance Addition? 180-1 The Sadistic Conclusion? 185
- Why does MacA consider anti-natalism a mistake? 187f. What does he think we should hope about future civilization? 189
- COMMENT?: Schopenhauer's and Benatar's statements? 192
- Do you (would you) consider hypothetical supra-humans our descendants? 193
- How much of their day do survey respondents say they would prefer to skip? How many said their lives contain more happiness than suffering? 198-9 How about you?
- What US demographic has gotten less happy over time? 205 Why do you think that is?
- Would you take the deathbed option? 212, 216
- COMMENT?: "Although they are rare in the population as a whole, malevolent, sadistic, or psychopathic actors may be disproportionately likely to gain political power..." 219
DQ
- Do you agree that the polarized abortion debate in the US distracts policymakers from addressing other serious concerns? How can that be rectified?
- COMMENT: "The girls can be erased. And the boys remain." 390
- Is "consumer eugenics" ethically different from eugenics in any other form?
- Is Lee Silver's Gattaca forecast plausible? 391
- Is abortion a "red herring"?
- Is there any effective way to discourage people from using PGD to "enact their biases"?
- If we must forever renounce technologies whose use magnifies people's biases, can we continue as a technological species?
- Dr Steinberg defends PGD as a "service," seeming to imply that its ethical status is not his concern. How should we think about this concept of "service" in medicine, from an ethical perspective?
- Can discussions of race ever get beyond politicization and "correctness"?
- Should we challenge "the power of biology as a naturalizing discourse"?
- Can or should the social science "consensus" view of race as a social concept be culturally self-fulfilling? Would it be in any sense better for us to affirm this view, whatever the biological science says?
- COMMENT: "We must abandon any use of race that fails to capturethe true complexity of human genetic variation."408
- How do you respond to questionnaires that inquire as to your racial identity?
Health news... weekly health news quiz
Carl Zimmer's She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity has interesting things to say about race, and genetics generally.
Carl Zimmer's She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity has interesting things to say about race, and genetics generally.
*Beyond 47-50
1. Is BiDil a pharmacogenomic drug?
2. What trendy unfounded argument may segregate medicine, fatten drugmakers' profits, and fail to address the underlying causes of premature African-American mortality?
3. Why did BiDil's developers test it in only one ethnic group?
4. Under what conditions should the FDA grant race-specific approvals?
5. Why should we approach genetic ancestry testing with caution?
6. What do many consumers not realize about DNA tests? Why?
7. Why should doctors be cautious when considering the results of ancestry tests?
8. What makes it difficult for two analysts to come to the same conclusion about fingerprints?
9. Blacks make up what percentage of federal DNA database profiles?
10. How did Lukis Anderson's DNA end up on Raveesh Kumra's body?
DQ
- Will Pharmacogenomics eventually transform medicine?
- What's wrong with "data dredging"? 417
- How can medical science be appropriately insulated from inappropriate commercial pressures (for instance, to extend the patent life of a particular drug by targeting an arbitrary ethnic group)?
- If DNA tests examine less than 1% your DNA and shed light on only one ancestor per generation, why are so many of us so enthralled with them? 423
- Why do so many of us desire proof of native American ancestry, especially given the prevalence of false markers? 425
- Does "the popular understanding that race is rooted in one's DNA" account for the fascination some have with genetic testing?
- Mixed-race people frequently choose a social/racial identity for primarily social/cultural reasons. How does this square with their tendency to seek genetic confirmation of that identity?
- How can we puncture the "myth of DNA infallibility"? 437
Dr Steinberg defends PGD as a "service," seeming to imply that its ethical status is not his concern. How should we think about this concept of "service" in medicine, from an ethical perspective?
ReplyDeletePGD is an ethical concern and as a Dr. this person has the responsibility to "do no harm," which gives him an imperative to consider the consequences his actions could have on his patient and beyond. Allowing PGD to screen for a child's traits would undoubtedly created a market side eugenics and possibly lessen the appreciation of those people who have those traits.
How do you respond to questionnaires that inquire as to your racial identity?
ReplyDeleteWhite, not hispanic is usually the only option that fits me. Sometimes taking race into account is needed to help eliminate discrimination.
Can discussions of race ever get beyond politicization and "correctness"?
ReplyDeleteI think so. I think we have a lot to work out, which is why its currently so politicized. But other values were hard fought over and not really questioned now, like whether its ok to be left-handed. While there will always be some people who cling to racial prejudices, I think one day we will have settled most racial political issues at large.
Do you (would you) consider hypothetical supra-humans our descendants?
ReplyDeleteYes I would, in the same way that I consider Australopithecus to be my ancestor.
Do you agree that the polarized abortion debate in the US distracts policymakers from addressing other serious concerns? How can that be rectified?
ReplyDeleteI think it’s unfortunate that we spend so much time arguing abortion rights when we could be making arguments for a better future and actually progressing instead of just protecting rights that we’ve had since 1973. And now since roe has been taken away we’re back on the offensive to try and regain rights that have been lost, which is regrettable. Hopefully in the future we will recognize abortion as the legitimate medical procedure that it is and not have the government interfering with people’s bodily autonomy. And then we can focus more on making improvements in the world and making life better for everyone.
“The girls can be erased and the boys remain.” And eventually the boys will die off, considering that without the girls you cannot have the boys and vice versa. That’s what mysogenists don’t seem to get.
ReplyDeleteUsing technology that reinforce people’s biases is on people, not really the technology. Things like social media have a lot of use in connecting with people, but it can be used for harm. This can apply to a lot of things in life, but it doesn’t necessarily make them all bad.
So many people look for evidence of them having Native American ancestry for two reasons. One reason is that they’re curious about their heritage and want to get closer to an understanding of their past, but the other reason may be more sinister. Some people will take a 1-2% heritage and ride with it to justify bigotry saying “Well, okay, I’m part Native American so I have authority to say that these problems aren’t real.”
Does "the popular understanding that race is rooted in one's DNA" account for the fascination some have with genetic testing
ReplyDeleteI think one of the big factors people get DNA tests is to better understand their own race. I’ve noticed that people sometimes seem to be fascinated with whatever place their ancestors are from, even if they lack all of the cultural features that their ancestors had. Especially in America, people like to legitimize their heritage by using a dna test to “prove” how Italian they are or whatever.
Is abortion a "red herring"?
ReplyDeleteAbortion can serve as a red herring in US politics, drawing emotional focus that diverts attention from deeper systemic issues like poverty, healthcare, and education.
Can discussions of race ever get beyond politicization and "correctness"?
ReplyDeleteDiscussions of race can move beyond politicization and correctness when approached with honesty, humility, and a genuine willingness to listen.
Is "consumer eugenics" ethically different from eugenics in any other form?
ReplyDeleteWhile consumer eugenics appears more voluntary than state-imposed forms, it raises similar ethical concerns about inequality, coercion, and the devaluation of certain lives.