Vistopia
To Your Unique Self: 40 Lessons in Personality Psychology
Wang Fang

If You Could, Would You Design the Perfect Baby?

“You have specified hazel eyes, black hair, and fair skin. I also took the liberty of eliminating every other potential risk, including baldness, myopia, alcoholism, obesity, and violent tendencies.”
Hello, I’m Wang Fang. Greetings to you in 2022, and Happy New Year! I was just playing a genetic scientist and reading a line from the film Gattaca. An aside: young Ethan Hawke and Jude Law appear together—an absolute feast for admirers of beautiful faces! Now I will stop swooning.
In the film’s Brave New World-like future, people specify requirements before a child’s birth and have embryos selected and modified to design a genetically superior, perfect baby.
If possible, would you want this service? Given a chance to remake yourself, would you trim your genes to change certain features? The questions are endless. If your partner suffers from being overly emotional, would you approve genetic repair to make them more rational? Would a world without genes associated with violence be better? Why not eliminate genetic tendencies toward school bullying? What about making every annoying person disappear?
Since the Human Genome Project began, using genetic modification to remake humanity or the world has become increasingly attractive. China’s gene-edited babies prompted major ethical controversy several years ago. Some critics argue that applying the technology to humans inevitably leads to genetic engineering and artificial selection of supposedly superior genes. Thenwho decides which traits are superior and deserve selection? Will artificial intervention necessarily outperform natural selection? Could the technology be abused? Once Pandora’s box opens, might it cause irreversible and terrifying consequences?
Episode editor: 夏夏
2022.01.04
Audio in Chinese

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Featured comments

40 comments
  • 1379号监听员
    2022-01-04 14:05:56

    几种比较有趣的基因型。 CCR5-Δ32基因型突变，对艾滋病免疫。 ALDH2*2 基因型突变，喝酒脸红。 APOC3基因型突变，豁免高脂血症。 DEC2基因型突变，每天只需要睡四小时。 CYP1A21F基因型突变，咖啡因代谢速度极慢。

  • dietrich
    2022-01-06 12:13:31

    每次听课都种草影视剧哈哈哈哈

  • 1
    192****1773
    2024-04-03 11:06:48

    基因上膛子弹，环境扣动扳机

  • 易同需
    2022-01-04 09:06:06

    2022，抛弃幻想，好好爱自己～

  • 牛
    牛小强
    2026-07-29 23:46:05

    感谢老师，讲得很好

  • 心心去哪儿
    2025-06-26 00:46:31

    我刚好在读罗翔老师的圆圈正义，里面也讨论了所谓的人类优生学！

  • 慢半拍
    2024-09-29 20:17:04

    听过之后虽然知道遗传提供可能性，环境锁定现实性，解决了我的一部分疑惑，但是还是很担心将来如果有孩子，孩子有极大可能会遗传我高度近视、钻牛角尖、高神经质、内耗等一堆我讨厌的特质，因为我已经发现我弟和我如出一辙，有点不希望这样的基因代代相传（似乎有种电影《千钧一发》里基因歧视的感觉了），这种想法是不是太消极了

  • 林
    林帛
    2024-02-01 12:44:59

    这是否就是所谓的“爱一个人就要爱他的全部”？我们想要爱人改变的一些特点，其根源所在的基因，也许同样影响着我们深爱的特点。

  • 林
    林帛
    2024-02-01 12:42:49

    但是我们对于平等的追求，是向好的方向发展，如果能够给所有人提供一个较为良好的环境，原本会被刺激的“不良基因”就不会表达出来。否则，只会导致生活在下层社会的“危险基因🧬携带者”，无法逃脱很容易堕落的命运。

  • 180****6228
    2023-06-06 13:09:40

    听这一节的时候，时常对应上自己所了解的教育心理学

  • 可田园牧歌么
    2023-02-01 23:42:00

    “遗传上对环境的敏感性”很感兴趣，后天上我是否要调整对环境的敏感性

  • 1
    159****0017
    2022-12-02 19:12:49

    又重新看了《千钧一发》这个电影，看完之后是什么样的感觉呢？如果人作为一个工具来使用，基因的确是很重要，因为能筛选，提取出最优秀的那一部分，这样作为一个工具来用的话，他就比较“称手好用”。可是我们是人啊，不仅有工具的属性，更是有着人性！人--就是有着无限潜能，迸发出不可限量的可能性啊！

  • Elenoreee
    2022-11-04 13:22:01

    哈哈哈哈听到这两个名字眼睛放光 马上暂停播客去查一下这部电影

  • 小七闲～
    2022-10-21 00:35:30

    如果把基因作为先验概率，环境因素作为观测值，然后用贝叶斯滤波是不是能得到一个下个时刻的状态值的预测~2333

  • Janet
    2022-09-01 14:27:32

    最后一句写的特别好！非常喜欢你的节目，王芳棒棒哒！