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22 February 2014

deterministic world

People given diagnoses of “antisocial personality disorder” or “psychopathy” show signs of morality blindness from the time they are children. They bully younger children, torture animals, habitually lie and seem incapable of empathy or remorse, often despite normal family backgrounds. Some of these children grow up into the monsters who bilk elderly people out of their savings, rape a succession of women or shoot convenience-store clerks lying on the floor during a robbery. 

from:
http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/The%20Moral%20Instinct%20-%20New%20York%20Times.htm


Genes which determine behaviour is very scary to me.
I know they do, you can breed in friendliness and viciousness or cunningness in dogs - Its not about upbringing its very obviously about genes.
but that makes things very deterministic. Are genes that deterministic? they are not - we dont know much about genes, we know far less than we think we do. and We( the common people) have been fed a very very simplistic version of genetics.
so when someone says there is a gene for smartness and dumbness or gene for paedophilia Lets not go there! thats too complicated.  gene for being a socio-path. If a day comes when someone tests me for my genes to determine if I m smart or not? that would be a very sad day for mankind.
Even statistic is like that, can I deny the truth of it. like women have lower insurance rates then men because they cause fewer car accident! ( YES ASSHOLES! Women ARE BETTER DRIVERS) but I m uncomfortable with applying the statistic to an actual person. I feel it is morally wrong to do it. gene would be far worse thing.
because it makes something deterministic. Its almost like it takes away free will?(?) I m all for studying our brain/genes etc and how it affects behaviour, but I believe that there is far more to us than that. studying each of these areas in their isolation and making deterministic conclusions is wrong. same with disease genes.
I m definitely against capitalistic application of all this science. Like being against nuclear bombs is very different from being against particle physics?

Why dont I have a problem with a weather forecast which says there is 90% probability that it will rain today or that tsunami is going to come. but I have a problem with a prediction that if u have BRACC gene u will get breast cancer? Is it just a matter of time before the gene people start getting it right? then what Ms deeps?  are u only afraid of a immature technology?

I cant pinpoint exactly what is wrong but something is..  may be I am too right brained to like a world where everything is known and fixed and safe and there is no mystery and magic or something?
[Oh BTW magic reminds me - they are making fairy dolls which have a motor and which hover in air!!! Oh god! if we have every kind of toy will there be any scope of imagination at all. I was really disappointed by the idea of that doll! ]

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