Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: thames_sider who wrote (26029)	9/5/2001 12:35:04 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Well, one response of course would be to stop the research into genetic predisositions of behavior. Society got on for centuries without this knowledge, and may well have been better off for it. Another response is to treat it like race. A fact which it is prohibited to treat people differently on the basis of. (Scrambling syntax this morning!) But do you see the dilemma? If you understand the cause of behaviour, and cannot treat it - how is it then truly justifiable to punish it? We don't understand "THE" cause of behavior. We may understand a part of the cause of behavior. But we still expect people to control their behavior. It may be harder for some than for others. But that's tough. It's harder for some people to learn to read than others. is it justifiable to abort any foetus showing such tendencies ASAP, because you will probably not be able to control its unacceptable behaviour as an adult? I It may -- I say may, my mind isn't made up on this -- be justifiable to provide special help or treatment for a person with certain tendencies. But I don't accept the "not able to control" argument, and no geneticist or psychologist I have has suggested that the genetic triggers are totally determinative. Hemophilia may be genetically based, but we still expect the person who has it to take care of themselves, even if that means not playing football no matter how much they want to. Each of us as an individual has strengths and weaknesses, tendencies toward good behaviors and bad. We expect people nonetheless to control their bad behaviors. So I don't see the same problem you do, because I don't believe that there is such a thing as a "embryonic pedophile" who will necessarily commit crimes. As to whether we should identify the potential pedophile and treat him or her early, and maybe keep a special watch on him or her, as I said, that's still up in the air for me. And genetic manipulation is, for me at least, not even remotely an acceptable option. Need I get into that??