Theos-Talk Archives (August 2001 Message tt00222)

Hi Doss,

Within the cloning story, hybrids are a special case IMO,
ethically, that is. I just don't think we humans should
make hybrids. Though the definition of human should
probably be the ability to talk. This will create further
fuziness with regard to for instance mentally retarded
people. These are called people now, though HPB might
disagree. But when the definition becomes *is able to talk*
(in sign language or with words) the result becomes gross.

Cloning stemcells is for me another issue. As far as I've
heard the cells can be cloned in such a way as to not
become a complete human being, but just the cells of a
particular organ. Say the kidneys. These cells then help
the human from which they came to become healthy. I see
nothing wrong with that. It takes a full brain to get human
consciousness. One (or even eighty) cell(s) has (have)
consciousness, obviously, but at that stage the
consciousness in my opinion is comparable to that of a
plant. We do all sorts of things with plants in that area. 

But as long as the successrate with cloning is so low, I
think it is inhumane to clone full human beings. Whether
hybrids or not. 

As for the consciousness-aspect of the story. I think we
just don't know. I mean, we don't even know precisely how
HPB distinguished between a person with soul and one
without that: She talked about *soulless* people, and we
are left wondering what people she meant. It must take a
particular type of clairvoyance to know that. I tend to
think that normal cloning is way risky - but that in theory
there would be no problem with a soul to enter. There is a
certain type of magic to it, seems to me. The difference
with getting a kid through IVF is not so big. 

Katinka
> From: ramadoss@infohwy.com
> Subject: 
> students
> 
> Man-beast hybrid beyond talking stage
> 
> Human DNA in cow egg
> 
> Scott Foster
> 
> The Edmonton Journal
> 
> Melding man and beast may sound like the stuff of science
> fiction, but it's 
> not.## Amid all the advances in genetic manipulation, the
> idea of combining 
> the DNA of animals and humans has gone beyond the talking
> stage -- it's 
> been attempted.


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