Approximately 10 people met at 6pm at Isaac’s Restaurant on Manheim Pike, Lancaster, PA. Scott Rhoades led an interactive discussion on the boundaries of morality, (the morality of genetically-modifying organisms for our own benefit). Group members did not disucc whether such modifications were possible, only if they are moral.
Assumptions:
1) all genetic modifications possible
2) modifying does not change the original stock
3) precatutions are taken against mutation, interbreeding
Scott asked attendees if it’s OK to modify organisms and asked if there should be a line? Per the attached document, attendees discussed:
1) bacteria
1) phages
3) viruses
4) cockroaches
5) mosquitos
6) wasps
7) birds
8) rate
9) cats, (at which point some group members began to have visceral/emotional reactions to genetic modification ideas)
10) prats/pcats (poisonous snake-killing rats)
11) monkeys
12) service chimps, (with whom humans share more genome- also with orangatans- than chimps and orangatans share with each other)
13) house chimps
14) human parts clones
15) house humans
16) super-smart humans
Scott summarized the discussion by asking attendees is- other than visceral/emotional responses to any of these categories, attendees could state any logical objections.
