In Professor Fullers lecture "Humanity 2.0: A 21st Century View of the 'Two Cultures' Problem", he discusses the 'modern artifice' of enhancement as the third historical phase of the 'humanity project'. Essentially this discusses issues of genetic engineering and biological enhancement as methods engaged to increase our more desirable qualities and thus become 'more fully human'. This raises a complexity of questions and conundrums. Being 'human' is as he states an artificial concept. But are we technically becoming machines if our natural genetic coding has been manipulated and altered? Programmable, as unborn fetuses our parents can decide on our IQ, our hair colour, our height, gender, talents by just adding and subtracting the appropriate DNA. What will happen to the quirky, hereditary, family traints? With increased genetic engineering skills and a desire to tamper with nature, I feel individuality will be increasingly under threat.
'What impact will this have on education?' The film 'Gattaca', by Andrew Niccol, explores the result of this concept. He raises the notion that the non-enhanced members of the community will become the new discriminated group.
"Vincent is one of the last "natural" babies born into a sterile, genetically-enhanced world, where life expectancy and disease likelihood are ascertained at birth. Myopic and due to die at 30, he has no chance of a career in a society that now discriminates against your genes, instead of your gender, race or religion." Cynan Rees; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/plotsummary
Assuming this all to be possible, initially only the wealthy sector would have the financial opportunity for such genetic manipulation. Would this change with time? I suspect a future with this sort of manipulative possibility would involve the gap of social opportunity widening further. The impact on the education project could be catastrophic. In our schools we already are experiencing technological inequalities, the 'haves' and the 'have nots' with basic computer, internet access and IWB technology available in some schools (usually wealthy cohort) more than others (less wealthy cohort).
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