Cloning humans

The agitation in press around cloning, and especially cloning humans, is mainly due to misunderstanding. Cloning is just one more way of biological reproduction, which is not too different from the traditional one. Why should it matter how the full set of chromosomes got into the egg cell, as long as the further development of that cell proceeds in the usual way? Sexual reproduction, artificial impregnation, gemmation or cloning are equally valid as the possible starting points.

They say that the reproduction of the same genome may be dangerous for the species. It may - if there is no way to control organic development, and nothing can eliminate defective genes. However, with more active gene engineering and growth control, one could make any species genetically better, healthier and stronger. Nobody makes the humanity reproduce a single genome by cloning, and there may be billions of acceptable genomes, and almost infinity of their combinations.

They are afraid that cloned animals may be worse for alimentation. But why? The process of digestion does not depend on genetic properties, and hence the alimentary value of the products produced by cloning will be the same, as long as there are no degenerate tissues, which are much more probable in usual than cloned animals.

They talk much about the army of entirely identical people cloned for some malignant purpose. But human subjectivity has nothing to do with biology, being almost completely determined by economic and social factors. Biologically equal people may become quite different personalities, when brought up in different social environment; mass poverty and mass culture are much more dangerous in that respect. The body is neutral to the kind of mind linked to it, except for the cases of disease and invalidity, which can cripple the soul under certain social conditions. However, this is exactly the physical deficiencies that could be overcome by cloning and genetic control.

Well, there are a few "dangers" that might frighten those who try to keep their grip on the means of social control. First of all, the agricultural products may become cheaper, and it would be more difficult to threaten people with hunger. The prices in all the rest of economy will have to decrease accordingly, which is hard to do with the present kind of economic organization - the capitalists will rather admit another world crisis and the death of millions than the gradual stabilization of the prices at a lower level.

Women will become more economically and socially independent, since they will not need men to reproduce, and the whole masculine sex will become biologically superfluous, which may lead to its complete extermination. The possibility of artificial combination of genes taken from women only would be a perfect complement to lesbian love, which is much safer than that in the mixed or male homosexual pairs.

The myth about the legacy of inheritance will be knocked down once again. When there will be no need to reproduce through sexual means, the tales of the "blue blood" will have to adapt to the new reality, when the bodily reproduction is no more mysterious than buying a new car.

There may be many other as "unpleasant consequences" of cloning - but they do not drastically change the way of human reproduction. The true revolution in this field can only occur when there will be no need in the female organism to give life to a child, and the whole process of organic development will thus be taken under control. When people will be made artificially in the special incubators, they will be much more free to adapt their bodies to any specific needs, or even change rebuild their entire physiology. This will bring forth yet inconceivable changes in economy and social organization, mush more significant than those resulting from the practice of cloning.