Redesigning Humans: Choosing our genes, changing our future

Stock sees the cloning controversy as a distraction from issues of real importance, such as balancing offspring trait selection against eugenics. Writing with the clarity and precision of a philosopher, Stock engages his readers with thought exercises and real-life examples. While not a brainless cheerleader for big science, he believes that we can, and certainly will, use any means necessary to give our children an edge, even if it means profound changes for our species. Redesigning Humans offers the hope that these changes need not be catastrophic if we pay attention now. --Rob Lightner

Product Description
A groundbreaking work, Redesigning Humans tackles the controversial subject of engineering the human germline -- the process of permanently altering the genetic code of an individual so that the changes are passed on to the offspring. Gregory Stock, an expert on the implications of recent advances in reproductive biology, has glimpsed the inevitable future of biomedical engineering. Within decades, Stock asserts, technological advances will bring meaningful changes to our offspring; this scientific revolution promises to fundamentally alter the human species. With recent findings presented in a new afterword, Stock's provocative assessment cuts through the debate to envision an age of radical biotechnological advancement and unprecedented human choice.

As of this date, human cloning is being debated not only in the United States but all over the world, and a cloned embryo is now gestating inside of a woman somewhere in the world. This is indeed an exciting development, but the author says that the fuss over human cloning is unwarranted, but for different reasons than those opposed to it. Copying a human being is insignificant, he argues, compared to what can be done with engineering the human germline. The focus should be, the author argues, on how we are to proceed with this technology, a technology that he clearly supports. He is one of the few that does, oddly, out of the collection who themselves are responsible for the major advances in genetic engineering.

But what of other ways of engineering improvements to human beings? Artificial intelligence and robotics have shown every indication of finally taking off, after decades of promises to that effect. Will humans, already inserting pacemakers, computer chips, and othe devices into their bodies, use this technology to enhance their vision, auditory capabilities, intelligence, etc? Who needs germline modification when this type of technology is available for enhancing human performance? The author argues that this will not be the case, that the human biological organism is too complex for this to happen. Also, the current level of knowledge on biological/electronic interaction is too primitive for such things as direct brain linkage. In addition, human beings will be reluctant to allow surgical implants such as these to be inserted into their brains.

Although his arguments against the occurence of electronic enhancement are good, the author, with his advocacy of germline enhancement, may be expressing a worry that artificial intelligence and cyberelectronics may "win out" over biological approaches to human enhancement. Will there be competition between biotechnology and cybertronic technology for the enhancement of human capabilities in the decades ahead? A silicon-vs-carbon-race for this purpose could prove to be a very interesting one.

The author is very honest and very frank is his discussions in the book, and such honesty is greatly appreciated in this time where genetic engineering is a frightening possibility to some. This omission of "tact and prudence" in discussions of genetic engineering serves better the purposes of rational debate and eases suspicions on the use of germline enhancement.

The accelerating field of bioninformatics and its role in germline manipulation is emphasized many times by the author. Faster computers, cheaper DNA chips, and sophisticated sequence matching algorithms will increase the enticement to perform reliable and safe genetic engineering. One can extend the author's logic to future scenarios where each individual's genome will be sequenced and digitized in a database. Combinatorial mathematics will then allow a pair of humans to determine with confidence the genetic make-up of their offspring. Subjective preferences of the parents, always a factor in the selection of mates, and this translating of course into their children, will become much more sophisticated using 21st century genetic engineering. The freedom to choose is the basic premise and right here, its results will just occur at a faster time scale than evolution has done.

The author is also an advocate of the free market when it comes to the inevitable choices involved in genetic engineering of humans. Considerations of cost and practicality will determine the prevelance of use of genetic technologies. What can be corrected by simple technology will eliminate the need for genetic engineering to do the same. A pair of glasses to correct for nearsightedness is a simpler and more economical approach than germline enhancement for better vision in our future children.

The author has successfully countered the current most popular arguments against genetic engineering in this book. He has done it with fairness and confidence, and with a command of the ethical and scientific issues involved. It remains to be seen of course whether wide-scale genetic engineering of humans will indeed occur in the next decades. One can say with confidence that it will occur in at least a few cases. But one thing is certain: this is indeed an exciting time to be alive, that the contemplation of the technology of genetic engineering is exhilirating, and its actual use even more so......


An uncompromising look at our human future   June 7, 2002
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

With insight and intelligence Gregory Stock discusses the future possibilities of human genetic engineering. He is willing to state that when these technologies are safely available and we have the ability to alter our genes and control our genetic destiny, it will be very difficult for us to walk away and decide to ignore or criminalize the ability to cure hereditary disease or extend life. Stock has written a brave and uncompromising book, and whether you are thrilled or angered by his words, it is likely to be a book that helps frame our human future.


Make way for the future   March 31, 2002
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

This book stunned me. It changed my ill informed fears about future biotech and gave me an insight into the possible amazing benefits. This book is a great antidote to all the scare mongers who seem to be writing on this subject. It really has a large and positive message.


If we could make better humans ... why shouldn't we?   December 15, 2003
Dan Ronco (Bucks County, Pennsylvania)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

James Watson, codiscoverer of the structure of DNA, asked, "If we could make better humans ... why shouldn't we?" That question is at the core of this book, and Gregory Stock responds in the affirmative. Not that we have a choice, he asserts; genetic engineering is coming whether we like it or not. And he makes a damn good case.

Rather than getting right to it, however, he begins with an anti-Kurzweil chapter. Ray Kurzweil is the author of the Age of Spiritual Machines, which projects the rapid development of artificial intelligence during the next few decades and the integration of human and machine intelligence (see my review). Stock argues that the interface between the human nervous system and silicon would be incredibly complex, making it highly unlikely we will be physically integrated with our computers within this timeframe. He believes that we will communicate much more effectively with the machines through our senses, becoming fyborgs (functional cyborgs).

Then he moves on to the main course, beginning with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Physicians have been performing genetic testing of embryos since 1989, with screening now available for a handful of genetic diseases. This technology will continue to expand, allowing parents to select specific embryos for implantation in the uterus, effectively enabling us to have children with certain genetic tendencies. The next advance, germinal choice technologies (GCT), will arrive within the next decade or two, allowing us to enhance our children's naturally occurring genetic inheritance. Artificial chromosomes, loaded with selected genes, might be the foundation.

Stock understands how divisive this issue will be, but argues that it can't be halted (not that he wants to stop it). He argues effectively for a reasonable degree of regulation, although he believes that the ultimate decision must remain in the hands of parents.

This is a book focused more on ethics and issues rather than technology. If you're interested more in the nuts and bolts of genetic engineering, look elsewhere. Whether you agree with him or not, Stock lays out the issues and his answers in a clear and compelling manner. It's an excellent exposition of the subject, one worth studying.


A Candid Look at Man's Future   April 21, 2005
Thomas Oldani (Rochester, NY)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Throughout the world, there are ongoing debates over whether the human genome should be tampered with. Legislation has already been passed prohibiting numerous variants of genetic engineering as it applies to humans. But in this book, Gregory Stock explains that we will eventually have the technology to change ourselves intrinsically, and that we will also use it. He strongly advises us to look toward the future and make decisions regarding how this newfound knowledge should be used, instead of simply whether it should be used.

Genetic engineering has the potential to cure nearly every disease on earth. For hereditary diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, this is the only way they will ever be cured. There is much ongoing research into finding a cure for genetic diseases, and eventually those efforts will meet with success. Once this happens, parents could be screened for defective genes, and if they do have them, their children could be genetically engineered to not have them. It would be cruel to deny these parents the only option they have to bear a healthy child, and in this way, the engineering of the human genome will begin.

Once diseases begin to be cured through this method, a line will have to be drawn determining what is a disease and what must be lived with. Is high cholesterol worth curing? What about obesity, ADD, or nearsightedness? All of these have a strong genetic component, and could be significantly reduced through genetic engineering. Inevitably, different countries will have different laws regarding what is considered a disease.

Eventually, genetic engineering will extend into the realm of what isn't a disease, but which could be improved on. Attributes such as intelligence, life span, physical capabilities, and talents could all be under the control of prospective parents.

This book is a startling look at the near future of the human species, and whether you thing genetically engineered humans are a good idea or not, this book is worth reading. Dr. Stock does a superb job at approaching this subject from a neutral perspective, stating not what he hopes will happen, but which he believes will happen. He gives many other examples of what can be accomplished with genetic engineering as well as what has already been accomplished in animals. He also corrects many of the myths surrounding this technology, many which have come from popular science fiction. If you have any questions or doubts concerning genetic engineering, this is an excellent book to read.