The Ones Author Daniel Sweren-Becker on the Conversation We All Should Be Having
In The Ones, Daniel Sweren-Becker imagines a world where one percent of the world’s population was selected at random for genetic engineering. The “Ones,” as she, her boyfriend James, and the rest of their engineered brethren are known, are thriving. They’ve got the best genes science can offer, but their good luck ends spectacularly with the rise of the Equality Movement, devoted to crushing the unfairly advantaged Ones—but that doesn’t mean the Ones won’t fight back. Sweren-Becker discusses how his fascination with genetic engineering began, and why he thinks it’s one of the scariest debates we should be having.
It was a weird, scary feeling.
I finished the New Yorker article, raised my chin to the sky, and asked myself where I came down on this controversial issue. Unbelievably, the question was so complex that I didn’t have an answer.
Now, I’m usually a pretty opinionated person. On anything from presidential candidates to condiments, I know what I like and it’s hard for me to change. But this subject truly had me flummoxed.
What are we going to do about genetic engineering?
I believe this will be one of the monumental issues of our time. It inspired me to write my YA novel, The Ones. It sent me on a hunt for answers—a hunt that led to consulting with geneticists and doctors. And based on what I learned, it seems highly possible that teenagers who pick up my book will have to answer this question about their children one day. That’s how close we are.
So what should we do?
Genetic engineering has the potential to prevent an untold amount of human suffering. Scientists are on pace to eventually eliminate any negative hereditary quality from a human embryo—goodbye asthma, blindness, and even cancer. A world without birth defects is unquestionably a better place.
Before we get there, however, we need to figure out who exactly is going to take advantage of this technology. Is access going to be based on money? Need? Country of origin? Already there are major discrepancies in the laws and regulations of various countries around the world when it comes to genetic engineering. We are racing toward a day when this science is outlawed in one nation, but mandated for every newborn in another.
We also need to determine how much engineering we’re willing to accept. Perhaps few people would argue against preventing physical disabilities. But what about selective engineering for things like height? Eye color? Interest in music? When this is all possible, it will be hard for parents to resist asking their doctors for a Steph Curry-Taylor Swift-Jennifer Lawrence mashup. (They can ask all they want—most parents don’t have the genetic building blocks to create such a wonderful Frankenstein)
All of these scenarios have been made possible by the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9—a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to cut, add, or replace parts of our DNA sequence. The resultant changes then exist in the embryo’s germline forever, so every subsequent generation is altered as well.
I am terrified by the lack of attention to this issue. All of the smart, reasonable people in the world should be meeting right now to figure out how this will be handled. If they already have, my invite must have been lost in the mail, and I still haven’t heard what they decided.
Let’s be clear: while genetic engineering might one day become so common no one blinks at its use, the transition to that era is going to be fraught with controversy. The first generation of genetically engineered babies is going to have a tremendous advantage over their peers. Of course, there’s also the chance they will engender a tremendous amount of resentment.
History tells us that when a powerless minority provokes fear in the majority there are usually tragic consequences. And in this particular hypothetical, who can blame the majority for their perception of injustice? We all know life’s not fair, but it’s nice to think your destiny isn’t preordained in the petri dish of a DNA technician.
It’s never productive to throw up our collective hands and just say “it’s complicated.” Humanity has a nice track record of solving big problems in spite of our relative stupidity. But on this issue, I have to admit I’m scared—and it’s not just because I don’t have an opinion.
I finished the New Yorker article, raised my chin to the sky, and asked myself where I came down on this controversial issue. Unbelievably, the question was so complex that I didn’t have an answer.
Now, I’m usually a pretty opinionated person. On anything from presidential candidates to condiments, I know what I like and it’s hard for me to change. But this subject truly had me flummoxed.
What are we going to do about genetic engineering?
I believe this will be one of the monumental issues of our time. It inspired me to write my YA novel, The Ones. It sent me on a hunt for answers—a hunt that led to consulting with geneticists and doctors. And based on what I learned, it seems highly possible that teenagers who pick up my book will have to answer this question about their children one day. That’s how close we are.
So what should we do?
Genetic engineering has the potential to prevent an untold amount of human suffering. Scientists are on pace to eventually eliminate any negative hereditary quality from a human embryo—goodbye asthma, blindness, and even cancer. A world without birth defects is unquestionably a better place.
Before we get there, however, we need to figure out who exactly is going to take advantage of this technology. Is access going to be based on money? Need? Country of origin? Already there are major discrepancies in the laws and regulations of various countries around the world when it comes to genetic engineering. We are racing toward a day when this science is outlawed in one nation, but mandated for every newborn in another.
We also need to determine how much engineering we’re willing to accept. Perhaps few people would argue against preventing physical disabilities. But what about selective engineering for things like height? Eye color? Interest in music? When this is all possible, it will be hard for parents to resist asking their doctors for a Steph Curry-Taylor Swift-Jennifer Lawrence mashup. (They can ask all they want—most parents don’t have the genetic building blocks to create such a wonderful Frankenstein)
All of these scenarios have been made possible by the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9—a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to cut, add, or replace parts of our DNA sequence. The resultant changes then exist in the embryo’s germline forever, so every subsequent generation is altered as well.
I am terrified by the lack of attention to this issue. All of the smart, reasonable people in the world should be meeting right now to figure out how this will be handled. If they already have, my invite must have been lost in the mail, and I still haven’t heard what they decided.
Let’s be clear: while genetic engineering might one day become so common no one blinks at its use, the transition to that era is going to be fraught with controversy. The first generation of genetically engineered babies is going to have a tremendous advantage over their peers. Of course, there’s also the chance they will engender a tremendous amount of resentment.
History tells us that when a powerless minority provokes fear in the majority there are usually tragic consequences. And in this particular hypothetical, who can blame the majority for their perception of injustice? We all know life’s not fair, but it’s nice to think your destiny isn’t preordained in the petri dish of a DNA technician.
It’s never productive to throw up our collective hands and just say “it’s complicated.” Humanity has a nice track record of solving big problems in spite of our relative stupidity. But on this issue, I have to admit I’m scared—and it’s not just because I don’t have an opinion.