From postmaster@extropy.org Fri May 30 09:28:05 1997 Received: from maxwell.lucifer.com (gen101ip47.cadvision.com [207.228.101.47]) by mail.nada.kth.se (8.8.4/8.8.4) with ESMTP id JAA11288 for ; Fri, 30 May 1997 09:27:57 +0200 (MET DST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by maxwell.lucifer.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) id BAA08952 for extropians-outgoing; Fri, 30 May 1997 01:20:12 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: maxwell.lucifer.com: majordom set sender to postmaster@extropy.org using -f Message-Id: <3.0.2.32.19970530031707.0174cd80@netcom.com> X-Sender: sasha1@netcom.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.2 b4 (32) Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 03:17:07 -0400 To: extropians@extropy.org From: "Alexander 'Sasha' Chislenko" Subject: Re: NEWS: Cloning / public opinion in Germany In-Reply-To: <338CAB33.11CB@tpk.net> References: <338D9753.D862D45B@oberberg-online.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: postmaster@extropy.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: extropians@extropy.org Status: RO X-Status: It's so funny: while most humans are against cloning their physical bodies, they find nothing wrong - and even encourage - cloning of their ideas, value system, mindsets, etc., such as religious teachings, standardized textbooks and languages, political consensus-building, or computers. Even the arguments against biological cloning are not aimed against repetition, they are trying to preserve the status quo. I am sure the protesters against cloning would equally oppose artificial genetic variations of any kind, even though their effect would be opposite to cloning. It is exactly these people who make me feel that I live in a land of cloned mundanes; they have reasonably varied body shapes, but frightingly similar collections of off-the-shelf motivations and interests. If I ever decide to raise one more child, I think I'd rather raise a clone of myself. I would know him in advance much better than any other child, and would be able to provide him with support, environment, education and personal opportunities that I dreamed about so much when I was young but never received - thus assuring, by the way, that he would grow up much more different from me than the conservative people's children are [intended to be] from their parents. Maybe, that's why they wouldn't let me do it? There are, of course, "natural clones" - the twins. I do not know what part of the population have genetically identical twins, and I bet neither do most of the people who don't want to see the same situations created intentionally. "Whatever that number is, it is the ideal number, don't increase it, don't change anything, my cloned mind can't handle change, just leave things the way they are!" --------------------------------------------------------------- Alexander Chislenko ---------------------------------------------------------------