Last week at the table talk, we discussed genetic engineering and some of its various uses. When thinking about genetic engineering, the most controversial aspect is a moral one. Just how far will this science proceed? With new techniques being developed such as CRISPR, what more will we learn to be able to control? Genetic engineering definitely has some beneficial aspects, such as the now much more viable option of growing human organs in pigs (albeit not beneficial for pigs!), or helping to fight certain diseases. However, what are the drawbacks?

From the talk, it seems that there have been some government restrictions set on genetic engineering, but its development is most likely going to be unrestricted in the long run. This is due to certain countries being much more lenient on these restrictions, which in turn causes other countries to fear falling behind.  Hence, it seems that the question really is: What is the limit on what we can control via genetic engineering? With the rise of designer babies, the direct impact on human life by genetic engineering is growing more and more apparent. However, it seems there may be limitations on genetic engineering when it comes to the human genome. A world where uniform, perfect and/or superhuman copies of each other dominate the globe may be mere fiction due to the highly complex nature of gene mutations related to traits such as athletic ability or intelligence: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/science/gene-editing-embryos-designer-babies.html?mcubz=0 . Hence, it may be that the advance of genetic engineering will be beneficial for our society without leading to some sort of dystopia. Otherwise, it could be like the myth of Icarus where we fly too close to the sun and get burned. I guess only time will tell.