In response to Andrew Nelson's post "Human-Directed Evolution" (5/5/2012):
I do not think that continuing to pursue 'artificial evolution' is at all a bad idea; in fact, I think it is a very good one. While science-fiction novels and films frequently depict dystopian futures wherein 'normal' humans have to show that they have some kind of special quality that makes them better than 'enhanced' humans, in reality I think that taking advantage of technological enhancements would have relatively few negative effects. Of course, such advancements could very lead to a class divide, but that is a problem of capitalism rather than of the technology itself. In a socialist or communism society, the advancements would only be positive, and anyone who chose to could take advantage of them.
This last point is why I prefer the idea of technological enhancements to eugenics - because enhancements are available to pre-existing people, rather than to a new generation. This would make them, I think, much more appealing to many people, because they do not make already-living people 'defunct.' This makes the idea much more practical, as it is more likely to garner mass support.
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