What I Really Want For My Children

Democracy Does Not Require Perfect Equality, But It Does Require That Citizens Share In A Common Life.

I Am Trying To Get At The Moral Arguments And The Ethical Status Of Various Attempts At Enhancement, Or Genetic Engineering, Or The Bid For Designer Children. But There Are Implications For Society At Large.

It's True That To Speak Of An Ethic Of Giftedness, Which Is Very Much The Ethic That I Deploy In Raising Questions About Designer Children And Genetic Engineering - An Appreciation Of The Giftedness Of The Child Or The Giftedness Of Life Does Have Religious Resonance, Because A Great Many Religious Traditions Emphasize The Sense In Which The Good Things In Life Are Not All Our Own Doing; They Are Gifts From God.

It's Ultimately The Purpose Of Education To Cultivate The Love Of Learning For Its Own Sake.

If Parents Are Aiming At Choosing Children Who Will Be Good Athletes, Or Great Musicians, Or Who Will Get Into Ivy League Schools, Or Who Will Be Tall Enough To Make The Basketball Team, Then There Is A Danger That The Life Of The Child Will Bear The Burden Of That Expectation; And The Risk Of Disappointment And The Cost Of Disappointment Will Be Even Higher Than They Are Now, And Even Now They Can Be Considerable.