Do the disabled have a part to play in Human Development?

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Author Topic:   Do the disabled have a part to play in Human Development?

Ascender_DIR_001 posted 08-28-99 08:56 AM ET
With all the modern technologies available to remove malufuctioning genes should we be asking ourselves the question, is disability an important part of the human genome and will removing it have drastic side effects on human development?. Moreover could disability be the beginning of the next stage in human development remmebring that early man was much stronger than we are today?
Please note that I have a disability and I feel that this is a definate possibility
Beta1 posted 08-28-99 10:53 AM ET
You touch upon a very thorny issue here. To start any disability/condition I am refering to are ones caused by inherited genetic changes rather than any incident (ie oxygen starvation) leading to physical damage.
Right now I've got that clear.
I agree with you that many disabilities may be linked to other traits (often positive). The often quoted fine line between genius and madness is the best example. But there are other conditions (CF for example) which, if I had the ability to repair, I would try to remove from the population. I should point out that I do not advocate aborting babies who may carry disease genes or any of the other dubious actions carried out in the name of eugenics. I merely think if I had the ability to repair the gene I would.
Beta-1
ViVicdi posted 09-02-99 07:30 PM ET
Obviously, for two reasons:
1. The "Stephen Hawking factor": Most people wish to contribute, and anyway all of us are disabled in one way or another, we just choose to do things we are good at. Do you wear glasses? That leads into point 2:
2. Necessity is the mother of invention. If there were no such thing as nearsightedness, there would not be such a thing as glasses, nor any of the scientific advances in optics which may have come about because of this need.
Parting thought: We're all genetically damaged, we're all dying, and barring a miracle of genetic engineering we're all on a one-way express train to the grave within the next dozen decades. The "disabled" simply got there first. As Yoda said, "When 900 years old you become, look as good, you will not, eh?"
I don't mean to sound overly fatalistic, but we all wind up "disabled" at some stage in our lives, so ones perception of oneself as "enabled" needs to be understood as temporary. Disabilities are not some random accident; they are a warning to all of us of things to come. How many 90-year-olds have you seen in wheelchairs? Most. If you expect to die of natural causes, expect to become disabled first.
I guess the most difficult disability for my philosophy to come to terms with is mental retardation. I have always believed that when I lose my faculties and can no longer think for myself that I should be given the dignity of a DNR, but extended back through time that logic creates some ethical difficulties as it reaches into the realm of abortion. As a father of two I personally would never bring someone into the world whom I did not feel was equipped to thrive in it, but I would never presume to make that decision for others.
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Author	Topic: Do the disabled have a part to play in Human Development?
Ascender_DIR_001	posted 08-28-99 08:56 AM ET With all the modern technologies available to remove malufuctioning genes should we be asking ourselves the question, is disability an important part of the human genome and will removing it have drastic side effects on human development?. Moreover could disability be the beginning of the next stage in human development remmebring that early man was much stronger than we are today? Please note that I have a disability and I feel that this is a definate possibility
Beta1	posted 08-28-99 10:53 AM ET You touch upon a very thorny issue here. To start any disability/condition I am refering to are ones caused by inherited genetic changes rather than any incident (ie oxygen starvation) leading to physical damage. Right now I've got that clear. I agree with you that many disabilities may be linked to other traits (often positive). The often quoted fine line between genius and madness is the best example. But there are other conditions (CF for example) which, if I had the ability to repair, I would try to remove from the population. I should point out that I do not advocate aborting babies who may carry disease genes or any of the other dubious actions carried out in the name of eugenics. I merely think if I had the ability to repair the gene I would. Beta-1
ViVicdi	posted 09-02-99 07:30 PM ET Obviously, for two reasons: 1. The "Stephen Hawking factor": Most people wish to contribute, and anyway all of us are disabled in one way or another, we just choose to do things we are good at. Do you wear glasses? That leads into point 2: 2. Necessity is the mother of invention. If there were no such thing as nearsightedness, there would not be such a thing as glasses, nor any of the scientific advances in optics which may have come about because of this need. Parting thought: We're all genetically damaged, we're all dying, and barring a miracle of genetic engineering we're all on a one-way express train to the grave within the next dozen decades. The "disabled" simply got there first. As Yoda said, "When 900 years old you become, look as good, you will not, eh?" I don't mean to sound overly fatalistic, but we all wind up "disabled" at some stage in our lives, so ones perception of oneself as "enabled" needs to be understood as temporary. Disabilities are not some random accident; they are a warning to all of us of things to come. How many 90-year-olds have you seen in wheelchairs? Most. If you expect to die of natural causes, expect to become disabled first. I guess the most difficult disability for my philosophy to come to terms with is mental retardation. I have always believed that when I lose my faculties and can no longer think for myself that I should be given the dignity of a DNR, but extended back through time that logic creates some ethical difficulties as it reaches into the realm of abortion. As a father of two I personally would never bring someone into the world whom I did not feel was equipped to thrive in it, but I would never presume to make that decision for others.