Science abuse -- responding to 'Fear'!

This is in response to Alex Fear's comment on my last post:

I agree that we need to have a debate! Inevitably, though, I don't agree with the need for a purpose.

Much experimentation that has led to world-changing discoveries have no purpose. Trips to Titan, for example, have no purpose at all — they burn through lots of money and find out fascinating stuff, but there's nothing out there we could remotely use.

I also am not sure about the "sanctity of human life". Yes life is special, but human life is no more so. I can see massive societal problems were we able to make all children of similar [insert criteria here] and the idea of fully developing a chimera (which at the moment is not proposed or possible) should send a shudder down anyone's spine...

But at the same time, we shouldn't think that same-species genetic modification is significantly different to forced hybridisation or selective breeding (it isn't) and we shouldn't be afraid of things without good reason... Going faster than 50mph, remember, will suffocate you!

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