Super Soldiers and Bio Engineering: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly?

CW2 Joseph Evans — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:58:22 -0400

Captain America, Universal Soldier, Resident Evil, Frankenstein, and even H. G. Wells "The Island of Doctor Moreau" represent a fascination with making us bigger, better, faster, and in some cases, meaner.
How far do you think we are from cyber or bio-enhancements that threaten our current norms for medical necessity or "quality of life"? Will the battlefield be the testing ground for these super humans?
Should we wait until patients are old enough to consent? or is in vitro "gene-therapy" at the parents request acceptable? If you could have your child born with wings, would you?
Dig into your greatest hopes and darkest fears, I want to know what dreams and nightmares are made of.

Response by SPC Thomas Baldwin made Jun 15 at 2015 4:03 AM

SPC Thomas Baldwin — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 04:03:13 -0400

I don't like this at all. The politicians treat the military as things to a point already. This would just put us into the area of a weapon and when not needed terminate it. Consent to this when of age would be the only ethical way this could be done, otherwise you have been sold and that opens a whole new issue.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 4:29 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:29:48 -0400

I do not believe this is an if rather a when... and quite possibly, how much have they achieved already. If we know about it, then it means the military/government has been working on it for a while already. As for my kids, I would like to say, NO no modification; but that would be an absolute in an uncertain world. The what-if scenario's surrounding this question and topic are mind boggling. What if my child would be born with a heart defect but my child could receive a treatment to make the heart stronger? The ethical dilemma proposed is staggering.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 4:33 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:33:51 -0400

CW2 Joseph Evans I think some of us have already been trying by our own. Pre-workouts, Creatine, Test Booster, Fat Burners, so forth and so on. I think what we are afraid is of something that really make a difference and that does what it says it will do. When we try a new Pre-workout, we are looking for more strength, break PRs and basically try to do more with less.
I bet there are lot of Soldiers that would try a Super Serum to be a Steven Rogers. I don't want a son with wings but if he can fly without them, that would be something.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Jun 15 at 2015 4:44 PM

SGT Richard H. — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:44:17 -0400

The more you think about it, the more the ethical dilemma grows.
Cpl Private RallyPoint Member started with "what if my child" posing it as a core health question.....but take that to the next level: What if your child, being in perfect health, wasn't strong enough to compete in life because so many of the people that he would have to compete against are already products of bio-engineering? Then the moral question takes on another layer of "is this okay, since everyone's doing it?". It's an interesting conversation, and one that could be explored at almost unlimited depth and result in a whole lot more questions than answers.