![]() ![]() In the book, which has a similarly pre-determined endpoint, Metzl leads us through a broad-brush history that includes the way we have already “hacked” species such as the humble chicken. At which point, he steps back and solemnly intones that we all, collectively, need to ask and answer essential questions that will lead to “monumental decisions about our genetic future.” He doesn’t immediately say “yes.” Instead, he moves smoothly into what is clearly intended to be seen as a kind of Socratic dialogue, leading the woman and the rest of the audience in the direction he wants them to go: support for the practice of engineering children. Would you genetically engineer your own kids? ![]() On page 2, he tells the story of how, after “many years” of “writing and lecturing about the future of human reproduction,” he was frozen into silence by one simple question, asked by a woman in the audience: Metzl is a technophilic inevitabilist, a well-informed but glib enthusiast. The author is convinced that we humans are software and ready for an upgrade. ![]() However, it doesn’t take long for the reader to realize that the title does, in fact, sum up the book. Hacking Darwin sounds good if you don’t think about it. ![]() The problems with this book by Jamie Metzl begin with the title, which name-checks one of the most famous scientists in history and links him with either computerized theft or a crude temporary fix. ![]()
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