2026-03-26

technically copy-pasted from older post in 2025-10

# Religious aspects of human genetic engineering

Disclaimer
 - **Quick Note**
 - **This entire post is copy-pasted from an older post from 2025-10, for easy reference.**

## New religions and social dark matter

There are many lenses from which I can attempt to analyse the religious aspects of various technologies. The lens I prefer to discuss right now is [social dark matter](https://homosabiens.substack.com/p/social-dark-matter) - whatever people are not willing to talk about in public is probably what is most important. Listed below are the common categories of social dark matter. I recommend memorising them by heart. This framework is as fundamental to my understanding of human behaviour as something like Maslow's hierarchy.
 - death, sex, close relationship conflicts (includes parenting and marriage), morality and politics, money, physical and mental health (includes substance use)

#### Pro-human genetic engg (HGE) on SDM

**It is obvious to me that this field is full of open questions, and if someone resolves a bunch of these questions, they can start a religion for HGE just like Yudkowsky started a religion for ASI.** I don't want to start this religion myself because I'm not sure it will be good for the world if I do. Hence I would rather think more first.

Summarised
 - Death
   - Open technical question if HGE can alter lifespan.
   - Open philosphical question how to think about this
 - Sex
   - Open technical question if HGE can alter sex drive or neurocircuitry associated with sex.
   - Open philosophical question how to think about this.
 - Close relationship conflicts
   - Open technical questions on what genes an either an idealist or a competitive parent can give their children.
   - Open philosophical questions on what genes they should give, and how to think about parenting as a result.
 - Morality and politics
   - Open technical question if precursors to moral values can be genetically engineered, such as empathy for others, respect for authority, disgust and fear responses, etc.
   - Open philosophical question on if they should do this, if it is possible.
   - Open political question if HGE will get used by dictators to engineer their entire population or not. Open political question if there will be an arms race for HGE.
   - Open philosophical question on how to best to respond to an arms race or authoritarian action that someone else (who doesn't believe in your moral ideals) might have started.
 - Money
   - Open technical and political question how much HGE will cost, and whether it will be commoditised in free market or monopolised by a few actors
   - Open philosophical question on how much should an individual or society spend on HGE
 - Physical and mental health
   - Vast improvements to physical health
   - Open technical question how much improvement to mental health and altered mental states are possible, by editing genes for neurocircuitry.