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| Redesigning Humans: Choosing our genes, changing our future | 
 enlarge | Author: Gregory Stock
Publisher: Mariner Books
Discount Category: Book
Selling Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $0.15
Potential Savings: $13.85 (99%)
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Customer Ratings:  24 comments
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 296
Shipping Weight (pounds): 0.6
Dimensions (inch): 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.7
ISBN: 0618340831
Dewey Decimal Number: 176
UPC: 046442340830
EAN: 9780618340835
Publication Date: April 11, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Standard used condition.
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| Customer Comments:
| Showing comments 1-5 of 24 | | NEXT » |
 Good topic, poor book March 8, 2007
3 out of 3 found this comment useful.
This book could have been written in 1/3 the pages. It continously poses the same argument for the same reasons over and over. Yes, that is good for emphasis, but unfortunately it does so in a few places ineffectively. There are numerous logical errors throughout the book (3 in the first 15 pages) and a couple of poor editing points making this book painful to read at points. I give this book its second star only for the great topic it attempts to talk about.
Like It Or No, a Solid Overview of the Field January 12, 2007
1 out of 1 found this comment useful.
The author, putting aside the social debate on the subject, does an excellent job of presenting what is happening and what will happen in the genetic engineering field in the coming years. The impulse towards eugenics comes hand-in-hand with a culture obsessed with the material. Equally so, the impulse to protect one's child from cancer and heart disease will play a role. Regardless of the source of new genetic practices, the practices themselves will change our society.
If you'd like to understand just what that society might look like, take a look at this excellent work.
 finally, objective coverage of this subject without preaching April 1, 2006
4 out of 4 found this comment useful.
ive read several books on this topic, and this is the best of them. the author faces the reality that humans will take advantage of emerging genetic technologies as they become available, safe, and affordable. it really is an "inevitable genetic future", but most authors are lost on that fact as they yammer endlessly about this and that precaution. people are comfortable with the status quo and try to preserve it. pioneers see that it wont last and look beyond. make no mistake, this author too addresses precautions but doesnt overdo it like other commentators. the authors stance on redesigning humans is not so much unqualified support for it as it is acceptance of its inevitability. the author does support it but in a dignified manner i thought, not in a cheerleading fashion.
this book is a look at what will come to be. its not a question of if, but when. that said, you should know whats in store for mankind. i find it very exciting. this isnt time travel, its something more immediate. america and the west may resist now, but the East shows no such disinclination. once they leapfrog us, as they are poised to do, we will see the folly of our overprotective ways. but i would be interested to discuss this in the forum.
a thought provoking and concise book (about 220 pgs without extras at the end), also recent. highly recommended.
A Candid Look at Man's Future April 21, 2005
5 out of 5 found this comment useful.
Throughout the world, there are ongoing debates over whether the human genome should be tampered with. Legislation has already been passed prohibiting numerous variants of genetic engineering as it applies to humans. But in this book, Gregory Stock explains that we will eventually have the technology to change ourselves intrinsically, and that we will also use it. He strongly advises us to look toward the future and make decisions regarding how this newfound knowledge should be used, instead of simply whether it should be used.
Genetic engineering has the potential to cure nearly every disease on earth. For hereditary diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, this is the only way they will ever be cured. There is much ongoing research into finding a cure for genetic diseases, and eventually those efforts will meet with success. Once this happens, parents could be screened for defective genes, and if they do have them, their children could be genetically engineered to not have them. It would be cruel to deny these parents the only option they have to bear a healthy child, and in this way, the engineering of the human genome will begin.
Once diseases begin to be cured through this method, a line will have to be drawn determining what is a disease and what must be lived with. Is high cholesterol worth curing? What about obesity, ADD, or nearsightedness? All of these have a strong genetic component, and could be significantly reduced through genetic engineering. Inevitably, different countries will have different laws regarding what is considered a disease.
Eventually, genetic engineering will extend into the realm of what isn't a disease, but which could be improved on. Attributes such as intelligence, life span, physical capabilities, and talents could all be under the control of prospective parents.
This book is a startling look at the near future of the human species, and whether you thing genetically engineered humans are a good idea or not, this book is worth reading. Dr. Stock does a superb job at approaching this subject from a neutral perspective, stating not what he hopes will happen, but which he believes will happen. He gives many other examples of what can be accomplished with genetic engineering as well as what has already been accomplished in animals. He also corrects many of the myths surrounding this technology, many which have come from popular science fiction. If you have any questions or doubts concerning genetic engineering, this is an excellent book to read.
Convincing, to a point April 13, 2005
1 out of 1 found this comment useful.
Gregory Stock writes well, and Redesigning Humans is an enjoyable read. Beyond that, nothing he puts foward is beyond the realm of reasonable possibility. Just the same, read with a bit of skepticism. He's a bit too much of a futurist, and while that's obviously the intention and draw of the book, I think it's much more worthwhile contrasted with something like Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us by Rodney Brooks
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