How can we influence humanity to arrive at the next evolutionary stage of mankind?

What role does genetic engineering play today?

 

As mentioned in the 'genetic engineering - basic knowledge' section of this site, as it stands today there are currently two main forms of genetic engineering: somatic and germline. Germline engineering is ethically questionable and is prohibited as a result, but somatic engineering on the other hand plays a major role in eradicating genetic diseases from individuals. 

 

Today we see genetic engineering being used as more of a medicine to cure things (gene therapy) rather than a supplement to improve already working things, however according to Dr. Chee Chan of La Trobe University, the future for genetic engineering is bright with the possibilities being endless. When questioned regarding whether genetic engineering will continue to develop and be used to improve our species, Dr. Chan smiled and answered with a categoric 'yes'.

 

Gene therapy holds us in good stead in terms of managing inheritable diseases today, however as we look to 'influence humanity to arrive at the next evolutionary stage,' gene therapy to an extent is irrelevant because it fixes one individual, but doesn't correct the gene so a healthy gene is passed down for generations to come.

 

In regard to whether the genetic engineering of today 'influences humanity to arrive at the next evolutionary stage,' it probably doesn't at this stage, however if research can continue to be done on germline engineering then maybe improvements can be made to future generations.

 

The future of genetic engineering 

 

It has been speculated that genetic engineering could in time be used to alter and 'improve' physical appearance, metabolism, and even mental and physical capabilities like memory and intelligence 

 

These speculations have lead to ethical concerns, including belief that every fetus has a right to remain genetically unmodified, as well as the belief that parents hold the rights to modify their unborn offspring, and also the belief that every child has the right to be born free from preventable diseases. These three conflicting arguments result in varying opinions and it will be interesting to observe what becomes the norm and is ethically accepted in years to come.

 

An interesting prospect going forth is germline engineering. This is because unlike what is allowed currently, germline engineering has the potential to alter the genes of the offspring of the individual who the genetic modifications are being done to, however at this stage the process is considered too risky and ethically wrong to be scientifically pursued.

 

We can gather that germline engineering can be used to influence and potentially improve us in the future, however somatic engineering is purely to correct diseases in one person.

 

In the future we can look to improve things such as intelligence through genetic engineering, however it is often difficult to identify which genes are actually linked with intelligence. At this stage the process of replacing a gene we think will be a factor which influences intelligence is far too risky and the risks outweigh the potential positives, however if we can work out a way to identify which gene affects each characteristic then it would be revolutionary

 

If we can continue to develop the technologies which we already have, such as gene therapy via somatic engineering, as well as be innovative in our ability to seek new ways to genetically engineer ourselves for improvement, our future is bright.