What about altering the genes of an embryo to improve intelligence or athletic ability? Only 1 in 10 say yes but I suspect that number will increase over time.

But, what’s “really” going here? The people that answered ‘yes’ in this survey seem to want to make genetic alternations that will make their kids more successful.

But this brings up an interesting issue. For example, how do define intelligence? If it’s IQ that’s a problem because the majority of people that have the highest IQ’s are not very successful.

Wouldn’t it be funny if large numbers of people decided to alter the genes of their children then, 30 or 40 years later, discover that those children are no more successful than anybody else? Maybe then, all of these people will discover that they need to alter the gene for determination.

There’s only one thing that all successful people have in common and it’s not intelligence or athletic ability. It’s a strong will to succeed.

Does success depend on genetics? Drop a yes or no in the comments and tell me what you think.

“Too many of our preferences reflect nasty behaviors and states of mind that were genetically adaptive in the ancestral environment. Instead, wouldn’t it be better if we rewrote our own corrupt code?”

― David Pearce