The “moralistic” problem I see is that, while a good idea to start, whom would society entrust with governing the criteria of such a system? Who decides who has the money, the upbringing, the education, and the mindset to properly continue the species?

I hate to fall back to such a cliche example, but look at how Nazi Germany viewed procreation and human genetics. One “village idiot”, namely Hitler, decided one day that anyone with Jewish heritage was somehow innately inferior, and began exterminating them.

“1) If individuals are judged by qualified professionals to be unfit to bring up children to the extent that they should be taken from them, why is there not a system in place to prevent them having children in the first place?
2) Isn’t it obvious that this absolute cretin of poor genetic stock and abysmal prospects is predisposed to poor parenthood and unhealthy, unconstructive children?”

I can see what you are getting at, but I am fearful the possible extremes.
If we let people breed like rabbits, then leave their children (disabled or otherwise) to fend for themselves, that’s deplorable and wrong. But if we sign off our rights as humans to decide for ourselves if we want to procreate or not, that sets a dangerous precedent as well.

This is one of those issues where people have to meet in the middle and compromise, and that so rarely happens today.

“FJ – Problem is the idiots also have political clout and now want free healthcare, even though the US is by far the most insolvent nation in the world and spends $1trillion per year on an overseas empire”

@FJ – Just wanted to respond to this briefly: Both forms of healthcare are extreme in my mind. Free healthcare from the government worries me, since some unseen man behind a desk decides that my quality of life is worth saving or not. On the flip side, our current healthcare/insurance system in America is priced so high that the average American can’t keep up. We let the little health problems pile up, until we are rushed to the hospital with some major issue, then left with a bill that could buy a house.

I do have to agree that the US spends far too much effort and money on overseas concerns. Let the rest of the world learn to take care of their own problems, while we relearn that we are fully able to tackle ours, if we’d only stop being lazy and outsourcing our jobs to 3rd world countries.

- – -

Another thought-provoking article on Amerika. Thanks for the post.

–DKnight

Now, let’s consider. We can observe that many physical characteristics, both obvious (hair colour) and less obvious (heart defects) are heritable. Surely the brain, which is inseparable from the mind and intelligence, is also effected by heredity, as a body part like any other? Look at the Huxley family; all extraordinarily gifted people, yet also given to mental illness late in life. It’s hardly a coincidence that they look similar and have similar strengths and weaknesses – It’s all down to heredity, which in realityland effects humans as much as any other living thing, and all of our bodies, not merely the parts we feel comfortable with being effected! And honestly, most people are a bit dim, and both everyday experience and IQ statistics back this up.

“Reality is strange and most likely not understandable by the human mind, so try being a bit more humble in the face of nature and less of an egomaniac.”
What on earth is this supposed to mean? Understanding the world is hard, so stop trying, especially when your conclusions perturb me?

“they continue to shuffle their feet and look distinctly uncomfortable at the obvious implications of their actions. Namely:

1) If individuals are judged by qualified professionals to be unfit to bring up children to the extent that they should be taken from them, why is there not a system in place to prevent them having children in the first place?
2) Isn’t it obvious that this absolute cretin of poor genetic stock and abysmal prospects is predisposed to poor parenthood and unhealthy, unconstructive children? ”

Sight your sources moron. Moving on; if you cared about a single quanta of truth you’d refrain from dictating to others what they think. Reality is strange and most likely not understandable by the human mind, so try being a bit more humble in the face of nature and less of an egomaniac. With my own logic I’d feel inclined to conclude that these mystery individuals you’ve demonized feel the ramifications of what they have done is much worse than what you’ve dictated. I’d assume they are worried about paradoxes that have bothered use since even pre-Democritus times in that how does one know who are the qualified professionals? I’m assuredly more qualified than you, but who is more qualified them me I do not know. This could be what these enigmas where thinking, it’s logical, but I have no observation thus I don’t know it’s probability, and I’d be inclined to shut my mouth about such drivel unless I wanted to profess my idiocy.

Kindly do the world a favor and execute yourself.