CRISPR (and why I am so afraid)
I've attempted to think of a clever intro for a while now, but then I realized it was just easiest to explain that life got in the way these past few months and I apologize (mostly to myself) for not posting at all! I decided that dipping your toes in the water on the first day back is no fun when you can just throw a brick into the deep end instead... So without further adieu, I introduce CRISPR.
For an enthralling short paper about CRISPR and it's morality based on the ACM code of ethics and the writings of fellow ethicists Langdon Winner and Larry Lessig, click here. (Written by yours truly).
ICYMI: CRISPR (actually CRISPR-Cas9 but I'm going to refer to it as CRISPR for the contexts of this post) is a genome editing technology that allows you to modify the genes of plants, animals, and even humans. It sounds relatively simple when it is defined that way, but the real complexity of the technology lies in the future: where will CRISPR go from here?
One of the most commonly talked about topics of CRISPR is the possibility of creating "designer babies" in the future. For a little background on this issue, here is a snippet from my paper:
"As this technology progresses, it is likely that humans will be able to modify the DNA of their future children before they are even born. Initially, humans will use CRISPR to have a child without any genetic diseases. But, as the technology gets better who is to say they won’t be able to also give their kid a fast metabolism, stronger muscles, or hair that never goes bald? This idea of genetically modified humans may seem strange now, but in the future could become very commonplace. Once more people start to use CRISPR to create disease free and perfect children, people may start to argue that having a non-genetically-modified baby is actually unethical. They might say that allowing a human who could possibly suffer or die from genetics if they don’t have to is a morally wrong decision."
It's honestly impossible for me to choose a side on this issue, and here is why.
On one side of things:
The thought of requiring humans to use CRISPR for childbirth in the future makes me cringe a little bit. Mostly because of the implication that humans should be able to choose whether or not to use technology in their personal lives. How are we to know if CRISPR won't have some crazy side-effects on children in the future that we can't predict? What if creating CRISPR babies leads to a change in the entire human gene pool as more and more people start to use the technology? What if a terrible leader forced everyone in the country to only have children with the aid of CRISPR? What if this same leader genetically modified an army of humans to create "super-soldiers" equipped with the best physical traits for battle, better intelligence than any normal human, and ability to not age past the physical peak of humans? These are all questions that the engineers in charge of the technology need to keep in mind with every line of code that they write. (But enough about ethics for this blog post, you can catch more of that in the paper). The point is, there are already so many possible bad outcomes from CRISPR that we can think of in 2017, just imagine how many possible outcomes we can't even fathom because they don't exist yet. As engineers, it's so hard to prepare to create an ethical system because most of the time we actually don't know what the possible outcomes of the technology are.
So what about the other side of things?
At this point, CRISPR is the big, scary kid on the playground who everyone fears and tries to avoid eye contact with (even though avoiding them doesn't reverse your inevitable doom). The thing is, CRISPR doesn't have to be a bad thing. Basically, it can't be a bad thing. The technology is already going to progress, whether we as ethical engineers want it to or not. So it is up to us (the engineers that is) to make sure it progresses in a good way. There are so many possible good outcomes from CRISPR, and it's important to take those into account when assessing the technology as well. For example, this technology is most likely our first shot at curing cancer. It could lead to the end of genetic diseases. It could allow humans to be genetically engineered and equipped to live on different planets and survive abnormally long periods in space. Even bigger than all of that though, it could potentially allow humans to stop aging. The intricacies and science behind these specific outcomes are very complex and well outside of the scope of this blog post, but for a nice video to explain a little bit more in depth, click here!
Obviously there are two very contrasting sets of outcomes that stem from using CRISPR. One side offers potential world domination, while the other offers a modernized immorality. In terms of genetically modified humans, specifically designer babies, I do need to play devils advocate for just one minute:
It may seem strange now to think about a society where we are forced to use technology to create "designer babies." But, is this really that different from what we already do? With the help of medicine:
For an enthralling short paper about CRISPR and it's morality based on the ACM code of ethics and the writings of fellow ethicists Langdon Winner and Larry Lessig, click here. (Written by yours truly).
ICYMI: CRISPR (actually CRISPR-Cas9 but I'm going to refer to it as CRISPR for the contexts of this post) is a genome editing technology that allows you to modify the genes of plants, animals, and even humans. It sounds relatively simple when it is defined that way, but the real complexity of the technology lies in the future: where will CRISPR go from here?
"What is so bad about designer babies?"
"As this technology progresses, it is likely that humans will be able to modify the DNA of their future children before they are even born. Initially, humans will use CRISPR to have a child without any genetic diseases. But, as the technology gets better who is to say they won’t be able to also give their kid a fast metabolism, stronger muscles, or hair that never goes bald? This idea of genetically modified humans may seem strange now, but in the future could become very commonplace. Once more people start to use CRISPR to create disease free and perfect children, people may start to argue that having a non-genetically-modified baby is actually unethical. They might say that allowing a human who could possibly suffer or die from genetics if they don’t have to is a morally wrong decision."
It's honestly impossible for me to choose a side on this issue, and here is why.
On one side of things:
The thought of requiring humans to use CRISPR for childbirth in the future makes me cringe a little bit. Mostly because of the implication that humans should be able to choose whether or not to use technology in their personal lives. How are we to know if CRISPR won't have some crazy side-effects on children in the future that we can't predict? What if creating CRISPR babies leads to a change in the entire human gene pool as more and more people start to use the technology? What if a terrible leader forced everyone in the country to only have children with the aid of CRISPR? What if this same leader genetically modified an army of humans to create "super-soldiers" equipped with the best physical traits for battle, better intelligence than any normal human, and ability to not age past the physical peak of humans? These are all questions that the engineers in charge of the technology need to keep in mind with every line of code that they write. (But enough about ethics for this blog post, you can catch more of that in the paper). The point is, there are already so many possible bad outcomes from CRISPR that we can think of in 2017, just imagine how many possible outcomes we can't even fathom because they don't exist yet. As engineers, it's so hard to prepare to create an ethical system because most of the time we actually don't know what the possible outcomes of the technology are.
So what about the other side of things?
At this point, CRISPR is the big, scary kid on the playground who everyone fears and tries to avoid eye contact with (even though avoiding them doesn't reverse your inevitable doom). The thing is, CRISPR doesn't have to be a bad thing. Basically, it can't be a bad thing. The technology is already going to progress, whether we as ethical engineers want it to or not. So it is up to us (the engineers that is) to make sure it progresses in a good way. There are so many possible good outcomes from CRISPR, and it's important to take those into account when assessing the technology as well. For example, this technology is most likely our first shot at curing cancer. It could lead to the end of genetic diseases. It could allow humans to be genetically engineered and equipped to live on different planets and survive abnormally long periods in space. Even bigger than all of that though, it could potentially allow humans to stop aging. The intricacies and science behind these specific outcomes are very complex and well outside of the scope of this blog post, but for a nice video to explain a little bit more in depth, click here!
Obviously there are two very contrasting sets of outcomes that stem from using CRISPR. One side offers potential world domination, while the other offers a modernized immorality. In terms of genetically modified humans, specifically designer babies, I do need to play devils advocate for just one minute:
It may seem strange now to think about a society where we are forced to use technology to create "designer babies." But, is this really that different from what we already do? With the help of medicine:
- We've chosen to vaccinate our children (at least it has become the ethical standard to do so).
- We have the capability of terminating a pregnancy after discovering that the child may have a genetic disease that could change their life in a detrimental way.
We are already effectively selecting our "best humans" to carry the correct traits and genes from the parents. Wouldn't CRISPR then just be the obvious technological alternative of the future? The next step in the staircase of modern childbirth? But I digress...
There are really so many unknowns and different sides to this technology that it's impossible to know it's real implications for the future. One thing that has come from all of this research though is the more that I write about CRISPR, the more that I realize the importance of ethical engineering. In a world where everything is constantly changing and nothing can be predicted, we as engineers must hold a duty to ourselves and to humanity to ensure that everything we create can and will be beneficial to society and the well-being of humans (or we at least have to try....).
That's enough brain melting for today. Thanks for reading, and as always; catch you next time.
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