The ends of eugenics

[PapaSquash]

I find it hard to resist the opportunity to pursue equality of outcome. Equality of outcome is not possible if people significantly differ in innate ability and eliminating most of this disparity will yield equality of outcome. Equality of opportunity is NOT equality. We should pursue equality of outcome.

Now that I think about it, you’re right. We should aim for equality of outcome. But you are aiming short.

The proper way to pursue equality of outcome is as instructed by our Blessed Mother at Fatima:

“Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of thy mercy.”.

 

[JimG]

Come to think of it, Therese of Lisieux was clueless about cellular biology. Yet she has been named a Doctor of the Church.

 

[timotheos]

It also sickens me that people cannot understand this because they inherited a bad set of genes and they did nothing to deserve this. They cannot experience the pleasure of understanding Molecular Biology of the Cell through no fault of their own.

I supposed it would be best to eliminate these deleterious genes.

Hi Ribo. My thoughts: This sort of thought process is very compatible with, and even expected for, the personal profile you have provided on yourself (proud godless liberal, no religion/egalitarianism, interest in molecular evolution).

For a seventeen year old, you are an obviously intelligent and precocious individual; I say this in all sincerity. Surely you have gleaned a little about how we Catholics view humanity, through the sense of truth planted in everyone’s being, and adding the revealed truths of our faith. Furthermore, your statements lead me to presume that you do not share these beliefs. So my question is, just what sort of response are you looking for, posting in the Social Justice section of a Catholic forum?

Peace, Tim

 

[SeekerJen]

Now if we were to really think about this in a more down to earth fashion, who is more important, the biochemist or the food server. Well, I would have to say the food server, since eating is more important then finding out how our DNA works.

You know what, I have a bachelor’s degree in biochem and am a PhD student in immunology, and I agree with you. I am blessed in that I get to do what I love as a career, but honestly, what I do on a day-to-day basis doesn’t touch very many people’s lives. I’m holed up in my lab studying T cell molecular biology and signal transduction, which (to me) is fascinating and hopefully will contribute in some small way to helping medical research, but I’m not out there every day making other people’s lives better. My dad works as a laborer in a warehouse; he doesn’t have a college education but every day he makes sure that the right drugs are shipped to the right pharmacies so that sick people can get their treatments on time. My mom works as an admin assistant. She never finished her college degree, but every day she helps other people conduct business and makes life easier for her co-workers and clients. Together they worked their behinds off to put me through school so I could do what I loved. How amazingly awesome is that? (I seriously have the best parents.)

You know, Ribozyme, you will get much further as a scientist if you lose the snobbish attitude. Not everyone has the inherent ability or desire to be a scientist. So what?

 

[RyanL]

…My dad works as a laborer in a warehouse; he doesn’t have a college education …My mom works as an admin assistant. She never finished her college degree…

Ribo,

One of the (many) reasons your solution (which is not really a solution at all) is horribly and fatally flawed is that people like SeekerJen’s folks would have been on your embryo chopping block.

Had that happened, the world would have been shorted at least one biochemist.

God Bless,
RyanL

 

[st_lucy]

You know what, I have a bachelor’s degree in biochem and am a PhD student in immunology, and I agree with you. I am blessed in that I get to do what I love as a career, but honestly, what I do on a day-to-day basis doesn’t touch very many people’s lives. I’m holed up in my lab studying T cell molecular biology and signal transduction, which (to me) is fascinating and hopefully will contribute in some small way to helping medical research, but I’m not out there every day making other people’s lives better. My dad works as a laborer in a warehouse; he doesn’t have a college education but every day he makes sure that the right drugs are shipped to the right pharmacies so that sick people can get their treatments on time. My mom works as an admin assistant. She never finished her college degree, but every day she helps other people conduct business and makes life easier for her co-workers and clients. Together they worked their behinds off to put me through school so I could do what I loved. How amazingly awesome is that? (I seriously have the best parents.)

You know, Ribozyme, you will get much further as a scientist if you lose the snobbish attitude. Not everyone has the inherent ability or desire to be a scientist. So what?

Thank you for your reply. I totally agree. I have my BA but I have never really used it because I have choosen to be a stay at home mom and a home school mom. Although I loved what I studied and I know i would have been good at I know that what I choose to do was best because I am preparing the next generious to love and work.

 

[stbruno]

Personally, I think one of the most underrated tasks is the growing of food, the common farmer, the migrant workers who work the land so that even the chemist, the scientists, the brains of the world can survive and thrive. Without food and water, we would not live…so the plumbers, the water filtration plant workers, the sanitary district workers…etc…we need everyone in all their roles to survive.

We have many gifts, and not everyone is endowed with each of those gifts.

But with all things…we must have respect and provide dignity to even the smallest of these. Each person is worthy of creation because they are made in the image and likeness of God…even those who are disabled…because by caring for them, we are open to the servanthood that Jesus taught us when he washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper.

We always want to improve the quality of life, but not at the risk of destroying life. And that certainly includes embryos.
Let’s pray that all these experiments fail…and only those that sustain and promote life will be healing!

Praise God!

 

[jman507]

Thank you for your reply. I totally agree. I have my BA but I have never really used it because I have choosen to be a stay at home mom and a home school mom. Although I loved what I studied and I know i would have been good at I know that what I choose to do was best because I am preparing the next generious to love and work.

Who says your not using your studies?

 

[SeekerJen]

Personally, I think one of the most underrated tasks is the growing of food, the common farmer, the migrant workers who work the land so that even the chemist, the scientists, the brains of the world can survive and thrive. Without food and water, we would not live…so the plumbers, the water filtration plant workers, the sanitary district workers…etc…we need everyone in all their roles to survive.

We have many gifts, and not everyone is endowed with each of those gifts.

But with all things…we must have respect and provide dignity to even the smallest of these. Each person is worthy of creation because they are made in the image and likeness of God…even those who are disabled…because by caring for them, we are open to the servanthood that Jesus taught us when he washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper.

We always want to improve the quality of life, but not at the risk of destroying life. And that certainly includes embryos.
Let’s pray that all these experiments fail…and only those that sustain and promote life will be healing!

Praise God!

Exactly. There is dignity in all life. There was as much dignity in the life of my former boss’s daughter, disabled and wheelchair bound from infancy, and who died at the age of 8 of a genetic disorder, as there is in the lives of her brilliant parents, both of whom are PhDs and professors. I am a better person for having known her (and her parents), though she was unable to speak to me.

I’m still shaking my head over the ideas that people who are suited to less academic careers are less worthy of existence and that the fact that they are less suited means that they are genetically defective . Good grief, lab science, such as the much-touted molecular biology, wouldn’t exist if there weren’t FedEx and UPS drivers to deliver our reagents and supplies, maintenance workers to clean and maintain the labs and buildings, power plant laborers to keep the utilities running, animal facility workers to maintain the lab animal cages, vending machine suppliers and coffee stand workers to keep us fed and caffeinated at odd hours, the people who create the food and coffee, admin. office workers to deal with paperwork and beauracracy, etc.- basically the invaluable people who make it so much easier for those of us in the lab to focus on our experiments. I’m thinking this kid needs to actually go and work in a lab and see how far he gets without those in so-called drudge jobs.

 

[Ferdinand_Mary]

Thank you to all who participated. This thread is now closed.

Mane Nobiscum Domine,
Ferdinand Mary