Saturday, May 17, 2003
BAILEY vs. THE BIO-LUDDITES
A few days ago I blogged Virginia Postrel's take on Bill McKibben's new bio-luddite book. Today, Ronald Bailey is doing his usual good job of upholding the real progressive standard by taking McKibben head on in an exchange over at Reason.
McKibben tries to ingratiate himself with his audience, by stating that libertarians (presumably, Reason's readers) should oppose germ-line genetic engineering, because such would somehow infringe on the liberty of the next generation. Bailey smacks this right back at McKibben:
Giving children such enhanced capacities as good health, stronger bodies, and cleverer brains, far from constraining them, would in fact give them greater freedom and more choices. It's a strange kind of despotism that enlarges a person's abilities and options in life. Genetic enhancements to prevent ills that nature so liberally deals out would not violate a child's liberty or autonomy, and certainly do not constitute tyranny.
These bio-luddites need to go ahead and admit that they're being tyrannical in their desire to impose their limits on other people. McKibben and the other bioconservatives are reactionaries, pure and simple. They prefer the randomness -- and risk -- of chance genetic combinations to people intentionally doing the best for themselves and their families.
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 12:38 PM
