If you’re interested in bioethics, genetic manipulation, and the great politicization of cloning science, Reason’sReason’s RonaldRonald BaileyBailey has a coupla’ nice essays: “Anti-Cloning Disinformation?” and “Hooray for Designer Babies!” Here’s a taste:
Why have some left-wing and some right-wing intellectuals joined together in opposition to biotechnological progress? The left has always known that economic growth and scientific advances can derail its schemes for an egalitarian division of society
8 Replies to “A Bulge in your Genes”
”…The right, on the other hand, has always been suspicious of economic growth and scientific advance because they undermine established hierarchies and traditional systems of belief…”
This is drivel. The right has always been suspicious of economic growth and scientific advance? On what planet?
Well, it hasn’t <i>always</i> been Jonah Goldberg representing “conservatism”… Bailey might better have said “paleoconservatives” (like Buchanan)—but specifically, he’s following up on some <i>Weekly Standard</i> essays (from Kristol, Bottum, et al.) he finds assbackward.
The only “right” that would reject economic growth and scientific advance are the religious hysterics. I think it would be most useful to differentiate those two subsets of conservatism. One is doomed to extinction; one will dominate American politics. Care to guess which is which?
Don –
I would guess that it is the religious anti-economic and anti-growth hsterics that will come to rule society. I say that because of 9-11 which has encouraged the politicians to sing about old-time religion, etc. Plus we have one of those yahoos in the oval right now.
Matthew,
You guessed wrong. Avoid casinos.
You may be right, Don—though unfortunately too much of that religious “concern” creeps into policy planks in the Republican platform.
Boja Willy wrote about this very thing re: the “controversy” over condoms being made available in the Olympic village—which a vocal minority affected absolute outrage over. Ditto when Powell anounced that condoms help stanch the spread of STDs.
Should conservatism ever rid itself of its reputation for being the soil from which certain weeds invariably spring…
Hey Jeff,
What ever happened to Boja and other protein wisdomer posters? They have dissapeared over the last few weeks – what did you do to them?
Swamped this time of year, Josh. I’ve been carrying their asses (and thanks for noticing, by the way!)—though I think Victor’s sent in a couple of things, and some others have requested I use the generic <b>protein wisdom</b> moniker to post their collaborative work.