For the kinds of gene therapy we currently have, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference for society, but could have a positive effect for people affected by conditions that can be treated with it. Although as I understand it, those treatments are far from perfect and do frequently have adverse effects as well.
If we’re talking the sci-fi kind of gene therapy that could stop aging, make people more intelligent etc, that would be an entirely different story. It would have massive societal ramifications and I think especially under capitalism, they wouldn’t be good. It would increase inequality by massive amounts and basically turn the rich elites into their own, genetically-superior species.
Same situation with cybernetic implants. The rich would have infinite eidetic memory and computation power built into their skull. The poor would be forced to have muscle implants if they wanted a job, or worse, much much worse.
I mean, Cyberpunk 2077 does have construction workers being contractually obligated to receive strength-augmenting implants that are low quality and frequently malfunction and/or drive the wearer to homicidal insanity.
Just think what a company could do with a full motor control interface to their workers. The worker themselves could be asleep or in a virtual world and not have to worry about all that pesky work.
For the kinds of gene therapy we currently have, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference for society, but could have a positive effect for people affected by conditions that can be treated with it. Although as I understand it, those treatments are far from perfect and do frequently have adverse effects as well.
If we’re talking the sci-fi kind of gene therapy that could stop aging, make people more intelligent etc, that would be an entirely different story. It would have massive societal ramifications and I think especially under capitalism, they wouldn’t be good. It would increase inequality by massive amounts and basically turn the rich elites into their own, genetically-superior species.
Same situation with cybernetic implants. The rich would have infinite eidetic memory and computation power built into their skull. The poor would be forced to have muscle implants if they wanted a job, or worse, much much worse.
I mean, Cyberpunk 2077 does have construction workers being contractually obligated to receive strength-augmenting implants that are low quality and frequently malfunction and/or drive the wearer to homicidal insanity.
Just think what a company could do with a full motor control interface to their workers. The worker themselves could be asleep or in a virtual world and not have to worry about all that pesky work.
… why wouldn’t they just use robots?
Because other humans will pay for the feel of genuine humans.
For unthinking construction labor?
No, for rubbing up against.