Genie in the bottle

Progress in eugenics poses ethical questions

The early 20th-century debate on is best exemplified by an apocryphal story. George Bernard Shaw was propositioned by Isadora Duncan. Ms Duncan suggested that they could do humanity a favour by having a baby which would inherit her looks and Mr Shaw’s brains. Mr Shaw demurred, “Ah, but what if the child inherits my looks and your brain?” Imagine that you could create a baby with the exact attributes you desired, picking genes from two, three, or more individuals. This super-baby might have high intelligence, disease resistance, athletic prowess, etc. Further, imagine that such a super-baby could be cloned. Now,