This reminds me of a talk by Patricia Churchland that she gave at Stony Brook University in New York. She argued that because we knew the body chemistry markers behind violent behavior it was incumbent upon society to use it in order to help those who would become a violent risk to themselves and others. Society needed to protect itself, she argued, so the help these infants — because, of course, such tests should be mandatory at birth, if not before — would be given was to be institutionalized— but only until effective drug treatments could be found, of course. And the audience of professors, graduate and undergraduate students, and administrators applauded.

I can easily imagine a world in which a certain level of intelligence was considered to be a threat to society. We’ve had examples — at least two — in my lifetime. Need I remind people of how that perceived threat was dealt with?

I can imagine a border-crossing where individuals were excluded based upon their genetic makeup — separating families from their substandard or super-standard offspring, or vice-versa, who could be temporarily ‘housed’ before their final disposition. Americans do it now without the aid of a scientific justification — and it would be so much more defensible if there was one.

I can imagine a Gattica-like society in which such genetic scoring determined one’s role within society.

But there is one thing that I can’t imagine at all, and that is any possible world in which this information will not be used as a means of control over the population, or worse.

Which reminds me also of the general lack of understanding that leads some of us to believe that the search for knowledge without any concern for its use or misuse, is not a very dangerous threat to the world.

Perhaps in some future Trumpian society these genetic markers of intelligence will be refined to select those with a yearning to do science, so that Society can protect themselves from these totally irresponsibly individuals.

Am I alone in thinking such a future is possible? I mean, I’m no great thinker — please don’t take me for one — I just read history. And I hope there isn’t a genetic marker for that.