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 - 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.
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