Gene Editing, Sexual Reproduction, and the Arts: The Present, the Future, and the Imagined

Abstract

In recent years, popular culture has been graced with countless news announcing novel developments in genome editing. While many experiments are still in their early stages, genome editing seems very promising. Often betraying a sensationalist and triumphant tone, news coverage focuses on the potentials that these developments will have for the advancement of the human species, i.e., the eradication of disease, the extension of life, the improvement of the body and its appearance, etc. The future looks hopeful and unproblematic according to these accounts. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some may wonder whether these developments pose a potential worsening of the human condition: Are these developments safe? What are the ethical implications? Who will benefit from these developments? Given today’s social divisions and cultural conflicts, these voices predict a rather unpromising future and warn against the pursue of innovation at any cost.