Genetic Aesthetic: Biotech and the Human Bias Towards Beauty

Abstract

The domestication of plants and animals differs from symbiotic relationships, in its literal redesign of one lifeform by another in form and behavior. The shaping of lifeforms with the domestication of both animals and plants from canines to corn via selective breeding, hybridization and now genetic engineering confirms how evolution is governed more by culture and less nature. The focus here is on the theme of human aesthetic biases in which we are fully involved as witnessed in our developing numerous breeds for our ends ranging from food to flowers. The patenting of life forms, genetic mapping and gene splicing have only accelerated what was already a process of artificial selection practiced for millennia. The piece concludes with discussion on the biases that have implications for life on this planet from our meddling with myriad species everywhere. Our preferences for the warm and furry over the cold and slimy is addressed suggesting that futurists should take the lead along with environmental scientists and bioethicists in critically assessing these biases in the context of the enormous complexity which comprises the web of life.