Question

1. a)List 6 concerns in opposition to the de-extinction research and reintroduction. For each concern, list the counterargument by proponents of the de-extinction argument.

b) What is the Theseus’ Paradox? How does it apply to de-extinction?

c) Do you think that de-extinction is a sound idea? If you do not, describe why? If you are for it, describe why?

Answer 1

a) 1. Evolution

Unless you can create genetic diversity with over100 genetically different individuals, the small populations of de-extincted animals will lead to unhealthy, quite possibly sterile descendants, resulting in Extinction 2.0 anyway.

2. Ecology

"No man is an island "-- and neither are creatures. All living things need an ecosystem in order to thrive. When we have re-introduced endangered species back into the wild In the past, there have been all sort of ripple effects and unintended consequences.

3. Ethology

The capative condor breeding program was a good example of the dangers of not having parents of the same species.

4. Economics

Spending money to bring back the first mammoth will surely generate excitement and keen interest. But when the thrill subsidesubsides, who will pay the bills..

5. Emotion

When something dies, we experience a sense of loss, sometimes tangible and sometimes abstract.

6. ​​​Ethics

It is not ethical to atone for the actions of our ancestors when it may cause a different type of suffering.

b) In the metaphysics of identity , the Theseus' Paradox is a thought experiment that rises the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. De-extinction feels like a response to the sixth extinction.

c) I think De-extinction is a good idea. Using genetic science for reanimation may help adapt existing ecosystems to extreme changes in the environment, like global warming, and potentially reverse them, writes George Church in Scientific American.