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From: mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: The Ethics of Species Engineering
Message-ID: <34579@cup.portal.com>
Date: 6 Oct 90 06:17:18 GMT
References: <1990Sep23.163322.28379@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
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> chimp hybrid would be like would be interesting, I find the idea pretty
> abhorrent.  How could
> one rationalize keeping the being in a lab or some controlled enviroment
> all its life.  I do not see anyone anywhere who would extend the poor
> creature anything more than sympathy.  It would exist always hated, despised,
> or studied in a calculating manner all it life.  Many people struggle with
> the meaning of their life, this poor being would know *exacty* why he exists,
> and I'm sure that no one has the right to bring sentience to the world for
> such cold reasons.

Oh my!  What a chilling image of the future.

What makes you think we would keep the chimpman in a cage?  In a lab?
I think any serious researcher would try to provide a maximum enriched
environment, probably raising the experimental animal in a home setting.

What makes you think _humans_ don't know why they were brought into
existence?  People want kids;  kids are produced to satisfy their parent's
want for kids.  The first chimpman would probably have very loving parents,
all the more so because of their ambition to bring an entire new species
into existence.  Certainly if I were raising one of the members of the
first generation of chimpmanity, I would want to give the creature the
very best start in life that I could.  I'd read it stories, take it to
the zoo, whatever helps it achieve its full potential while having a rich
and enjoyable life.