We are rapidly approaching an interesting time in human history, the moment when our phonotypical nature becomes utterly under our control. Right now we have limited ability to alter our appearance. We can dye our hair, insert inert implants to alter our shape, to an extent, suction away fat cells, and it a limited degree we can even dye our skin, altering the appearance of our pigmentation. This is as crude as the amputations and drugs used by the ship board doctors of the 18th century compared to what I think is coming in our near future. A future so near that I expect to survive to see it. The moment when we have enough genetic knowledge and control that switching on and off with ease and control will become available to the local physician and practiced upon the general population.
Of course this will be a tremendous advance in disease treatment and prevention, but what about that most touchy of human conditions, race?
The fact that there are categories of human phenotypes is undisputed; the meaning of those phenotypes is very much disputed. I do not into to get into the scientific brush as to the existence of race, but rather what does it mean when race is no longer immutable?
What does it mean if a Caucasian can by having the appropriate gene switched up, down, or off, transform himself into an African-American? And of course the arrow points both ways, when those who are part of the racial minority for their region can with the proper technology become, to all phonotypical purposes, the race of the majority?
What are the individual’s rights? What are society’s concerns? Should laws be passed restricting this power so that people do not abandon their race, or adopt a racial minority’s phenotype for a short term advantage? Think about a Caucasian becoming an ethnic minority as far as phenotype is concerned, as to take advantage of special placement/assistance regulations. Clearly unethical, and clearly something some would consider.
After several generations I believe we would arrive a place where culturally we would no longer care what someone looked like because we knew that such appearances are entirely meaningless, but that transition period, there is something very interesting and very dangerous
