Designer pets - OK or not

[Spurius]

These cuties give light in the dark, I **** thee not. (VERY big pic, scroll to the right if neccessary).

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...123_15447.html

Cute, but useful? And is this OK?





[ps to moderators, this is not a novel technology, and it's about its moral issues in its use on pets, so no Athenaeum material, really]

[Sher Khan]

No, not useful. But I don't see why it's not OK.


We've been breeding creatures for select traits ranging from strength, speed, and agility to beauty, poise, and aesthetic for several thousand years by now.

[Thanatos]

The problem is, where is this going to lead to?

[Gaidin]

The problem is, where is this going to lead to?

It will lead to us trying to find a faster way to get the traits we want in the animals we want. Sort of like how breeding eventually led to cloning.

[Lemonjello]

The problem is, where is this going to lead to?

Superhumans. Is there a problem with that?

[Thanatos]

Yes, but glow-in-the-dark cats?

[Gaidin]

Yes, but glow-in-the-dark cats?

There is no prerequisite for the traits to be ones we've physically seen before, though those are usually easier to figure out. All I made reference to was for the traits we wanted.

[infernocanuck]

Indeed. And there is a difference between breeding and this form genetic manuipulation. I mean, if there were glowing cats before, and we interbreed them, Ok. But I'm a firm believer in letting selective processes run thier own course. Frankly, there is no purpose in having a friggin glowing cat. It's just another example of how science can be utilized stupidly and unethically. It's a "we're doing it because we can" or "we're doing it, because eventaully someone else will do it" mentality.

Ethics by convenience.

[ajm317]

I fail to see how this is useful. As night lights go, cats are pretty unreliable.

But I don't see any problem with it.

[Chaigidel]

I dont see this as any different than modifying our food genetically

[infernocanuck]

I dont see this as any different than modifying our food genetically

My friend, my friend, mammals, and especially humans, are much more complex then corn.

[Thanatos]

True, it'll be interesting to see where this leads to over time.

[Spurius]

Well, this is sortof the culmination of a technology used - in a useful manner - for tagging certain amoeba, IIRC. So it's definitely frivolous to be used on pets.

[Serious Spamurai]

I don't know about anyone lese here, but If I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a glowing creature in a dark corner, I'd be absoloutely terrified.

[Thanatos]

I don't know about anyone lese here, but If I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a glowing creature in a dark corner, I'd be ****ing terrified.

Until it meowed.

[Chaigidel]

life is a frivolous enterprise.

[Chaigidel]

blah you can be super human all day long your still just meat.

it will allow us to more fully integrate with our technology though(genetic engineering of peoples I mean; plus new and unfathomed diseases.

[Thanatos]

So, we'll either end up looking like:

1)Strogg
2)The people in Bioshock.

Wheee.

[Chaigidel]

of course its much more complex but it contains the same bioethics so to speak, your altering life forms outside of the natural process.

[Blau&Gruen]

Designer pets; I am pro sure.
I love pets.