As, Damien kindly pointed out I sent this directly to him instead of
the list (stupid X#@)$# mailer)...
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Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 12:56:30 -0500 (EST)
On Thu, 20 Jan 2000, Damien Broderick wrote:
> At 06:00 AM 20/01/00 -0500, I wrote:
>
> > Why do we have such a "magical mystery cult" about a collection of cells?
>
> Robert, get a grip! Sorry to say this, but that kinda comment is what you'd
> expect to hear from kids in the locker room without an emotional clue.
I think I may be failing to express myself in such a way that the
point is clear again. I think the precise point of my comment
is to ask the question of "Why can't we view these processes (conception
*or* abortion) with the same dispassion as brushing our teeth?"
Dispassionately, we are talking about some bags of chemical molecules!
As you point out because there is both physical "hard-wiring" and social
"soft-wiring" we do this more "significant". But *do* you really
want this to be true? Is it "rational" in a world where you will be
able to design better babies from scratch?
Just so people think me not completely insenstive, I do have experiences
that include those similar to Damien's and people close to me who have
extreme difficulties having children.
But that doesn't keep me from asking (and perhaps wishing) that the
emotional wringers these experiences involve should be significantly
reinterpreted, particularly in light of the advancements in technology
that are expected. Damien's response perhaps point out the problems
we may have in the future "grok"ing humans who have done the mental
hardware & software changes that have turned the volume controls
on many emotional "hooks" to zero.
Robert
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