The Beginning of A Genetic Elite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that trauma can make IQ functionally unusable, and having Nazis for parents is traumatic. I doubt this will work out the way the “genetically elite” think.

How is this any different than marrying someone that has a similar personality or is good looking. Both traits have a genetic component and people don’t pick their spouses randomly. Not sure how this is functionally any different. It’s dramatic to call this being a nazi.

That’s some very poor analysis there. There’s no comparison between two people choosing each other and scientifically modifying embryos. I’m not the PP though, and think the nazi thing is bogus.

[Anonymous]

Read "Brave New World". Humans breeding themselves into castes is pretty predictable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The results will be entertaining. Lay people really don't understand that when you select for one trait, especially one as polygenic and complex as intelligence, you almost always inadvertently select for other less desirable traits and against other more desirable traits as well. The law of unintended consequences holds strong in this context.

Moreover, I wonder if any of the parents trying to select for IQ fully understand that very high intelligence is not the exclusive domain of well-adjusted or traditionally successful people. Intelligence in itself is simply not useful in society. It has to be combined with personal traits, upbringing, and life experiences that make its expression in a socially rewarded way possible. Otherwise, vast intelligence can actually be unusable (see schizophrenia), counterproductive (see severer forms of autism) and/or dangerous (see antisocial personality disorder).

Some of the most intellectually advanced people I have ever encountered--in terms of raw IQ; the capacity for strategic, complex, and high-level thinking; and preternatural self-control--have also been inmates. Many of these men aren't crazy in any sense. They are very lucid and very intentional. They have just chosen to apply their superior abilities to defrauding, abusing, or outright hunting their fellow humans. They choose to amass victims, not wealth or accolades.

This! High IQ and mental illness, as well as social difficulties go hand in hand. A lot of high IQ struggle immensely to succeed within society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we don’t do it the Chinese will.

China and India will do this regardless. Europe might be slower to adopt this though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The results will be entertaining. Lay people really don't understand that when you select for one trait, especially one as polygenic and complex as intelligence, you almost always inadvertently select for other less desirable traits and against other more desirable traits as well. The law of unintended consequences holds strong in this context.

Moreover, I wonder if any of the parents trying to select for IQ fully understand that very high intelligence is not the exclusive domain of well-adjusted or traditionally successful people. Intelligence in itself is simply not useful in society. It has to be combined with personal traits, upbringing, and life experiences that make its expression in a socially rewarded way possible. Otherwise, vast intelligence can actually be unusable (see schizophrenia), counterproductive (see severer forms of autism) and/or dangerous (see antisocial personality disorder).

Some of the most intellectually advanced people I have ever encountered--in terms of raw IQ; the capacity for strategic, complex, and high-level thinking; and preternatural self-control--have also been inmates. Many of these men aren't crazy in any sense. They are very lucid and very intentional. They have just chosen to apply their superior abilities to defrauding, abusing, or outright hunting their fellow humans. They choose to amass victims, not wealth or accolades.

This! High IQ and mental illness, as well as social difficulties go hand in hand. A lot of high IQ struggle immensely to succeed within society.

Yep. And imagine screwing around with the embryos before implanting it back in the womb. I’d guess it would be the start of new genetic abnormalities. We don’t know enough about the brain to mess around with it. We still haven’t found the complete genetic code for autism, schizophrenia, OCD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that trauma can make IQ functionally unusable, and having Nazis for parents is traumatic. I doubt this will work out the way the “genetically elite” think.

How is this any different than marrying someone that has a similar personality or is good looking. Both traits have a genetic component and people don’t pick their spouses randomly. Not sure how this is functionally any different. It’s dramatic to call this being a nazi.

That’s some very poor analysis there. There’s no comparison between two people choosing each other and scientifically modifying embryos. I’m not the PP though, and think the nazi thing is bogus.

Read the article. No one is modifying or editing embryos. They are just choosing among the embryos that couples already have.

[Anonymous]

No. I wouldn't be interested. Besides all the things that could wrong and the whole playing God vibe... I just don't believe that this would work the way people expect. Success isn’t determined by your IQ. As long as your IQ is above average, the rest comes down to hard work.

[Anonymous]

I am glad people are at least coming to accept that IQ is largely genetic.

This is not going to create some new “genetic elite,” at least not to any greater extent than we already have.

This is like a couple having 10 kids. Among those kids some will be smarter (or taller) than the others. This is an attempt to identify and select for the smartest/tallest among the 10.

If the parents are average intelligence/height though it is unlikely that any of their kids will be exceptionally smart/tall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. I wouldn't be interested. Besides all the things that could wrong and the whole playing God vibe... I just don't believe that this would work the way people expect. Success isn’t determined by your IQ. As long as your IQ is above average, the rest comes down to hard work.

I'm generally skeptical of arguments against something due to "playing God." People use the same argument against vaccines, blood transfusions and look what happens as result... more people die because they didn't want to "play god". I think this reasoning leads to a rather backwards and regressive aversion to medical advances that benefit people. I'm not saying that this service is necessarily one that is guaranteed to work (or even proven at this point), but "playing god" or intervening against the "natural" order of things is basically the definition of being human.

[Anonymous]

My kids are very high IQ without us doing any of that. Smart parents usually have smart kids.

[Anonymous]

Next they will grow them in plastic wombs and buy the best looking smartest eggs to mix with the oddest looking genius weirdo moneyed elonesque makes. I fear for the future and women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an inevitable development given mankind’s scientific advances. People with means are going to pre-order and configure their kids if it’s an option. I think it will only be a matter of time before women don’t even have to carry kids, they can just stop by and pick them up when they are ready. I suppose it would be good for their careers.

I will tell my daughter to never have kids in this scenario. We will end our line in this generation. Have at it robots with human brains!

[Anonymous]

They will mix the bestlooking youngest eggs with the smartest oddelonesque wealthy socially anxious dudes in plastic wombs. I fear for the future and women

[Anonymous]

You know who else tried to breed genetic elite: Hitler

They’re the same couple from this video (they’re the second couple profiled). The comments are gold. https://youtu.be/KthrLReQE70?si=alQwlRt8ozprCiiG

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IQ doesn't make elite. Look at Trump and Musk

I’m not sure that Trumps is very high. Also he’s like 80 now so past his prime.

I thought that was the point that PP was making: that both men are probably in the average range, but their “elite” status is attributed to them because of their wealth and perhaps how we think of them and their accomplishments due to that wealth.