Would it be ethical to create a human chimp hybrid, if it could be done even with a bit of genetic tweaking to the gametes of one or the other?

 

If this resulted in offspring, what rights should the offspring have? how would this impact the rights of primates? Could this be an important experiment to clarify the rights of our closest relatives in the animal world?

 

your opinions please.....

Well, I haven't voted yet, but I think they did make a Human-Chimp hybrid once (or tried). I heard that in some lab in China, they impregnated a female chimp with human sperm or something, and she was three months pregnant before people found out, and broke into the lab in a riot, killing her. :/ I guess that gives you some answers for your poll right there...

 

However, I'm sure it's possible. The difference between the DNA of Humans and Chimps is about the same as the difference between horses and donkeys, which can breed. As for what rights a hybrid would have, I'm not even going to guess. :/

I voted "other" since it's ethical as long as the chimp is a consenting adult, but I'm not sure that's ever going to happen so I can't really vote "no".

I'm border line yes/no but I think it would be ok to test, but not create an entire species of human/chimp beings. Ssince we have evolved from apes, I don't know what evolutionary purposes a chimp might offer for us.

Why are we creating a man-chimp, by the way?

Based on our current state of knowledge? No. But I voted yes because there is nothing wrong with it in principle, given it is properly understood first what exactly the result will be, the odds of problems arising, ect. and given such knowledge poses no serious ethical delema beyond having a human/chimp hybird.

Waiting for someone to say it's agin god so I can use the 'God shmod I want my monkey man' quote. Where are moral crusaders when you really need them?

Give it time for the thread to appear on their shit-lists...

Why are we creating a man-chimp, by the way?

that`s exactly what I was thinking when I read it, What purpose would it serve?

after knowing this, then I could vote eitherway. for now it`ll be `Other` for me.

Well with it's reduced brain power I don't think they'd be able to much else but the Humanities. And I don't have to point out the irony there.

makes me reconsider what i believe, i mean if its possible, you'd have to accept it as life and decide how to respect it. I think it would be something similar to being considered a handicap person mentally. Any ideas on what it would behave life? a genius monkey, or a psycho human. Aren't chimps naturally more violent and such than humans? wait no that was a very stupid question. . . . . it comes back to why would we do it?

I guess it would completely depend on what was exchanged (a bit like in the film "The Fly").

without knowing what percentage was human or chimp, and what parts were human or chimp, it would be impossible to determine.

Well you can make yeast or bacteria express human genes, does that count?

neat!

a Loaf of bread you can have an inteligent conversation with

 

now I know where the saying "Use your loaf" comes from! j/k

 

{edit} sorry for the bad joke, but I just knew if I`de said it in real life, I`de be Toast!

You're just lucky you don't do this for dough.

 

Me too.

i'm still trying to understand the reason for such an experiment.

i can see that due to the similarity between our genetic makeup and especially after recombination, are they trying to push the evolution in the ape(offspring)?

the pendulum could swing either way still.

assuming the offspring is an 99.x% ape, non-detrimental and the ape is evolved sufficiently from the rest of it's species(descent with modification ) then it's great.

but should it come out lookin' more human, then someone's gonna get jacked.

Greetings, I stumbled upon this forum from Google. Great impressions thus far.

 

On to the subject at hand. I think a Humanzee would be a wonderful vehicle to reality for those who think that Humans are remarkably different from all other animals. If people could see that Chimps and Humans are no more different than Horses and Donkeys, it may ring a bell or two for some.

 

Other than that, I can see no benefit other than research, or the accomplishment for creating the prospective creature. They could do menial tasks perhaps, but the cost of creating them vs the labor benefit would be unjustifiable.

ooh, another person with an interest in paleontology. suddenly i don't feel so alone anymore

 

Humanzee

 

rofl, interesting.

 

but back to the topic at hand, a Humanzee would most likely be highly unethical.

a Humanzee would most likely be highly unethical.

and the the thing that would`nt help towards the unethicality (is there such a word?) would be all the poking and proding we`de do to it unecessarily

 

 

{edit} and since it wouldn`t have a "Natural Habitat" from which it could be replaced or observed from a distance without interferance, then by default it would be commited to spending it`s day in a Lab (a bit like me? LOL)

The only reason I think this thing would be wrong, is because I am CERTAIN without ANY DOUBT AT ALL -- that this poor creature (humachimp? chimpuman? whatever we call it) would be treated as LOW life form, probably be used for the entire length of his life.

Why? because htat' just the way our society works, unfortunately.

 

~moo

The only reason I think this thing would be wrong' date=' is because I am CERTAIN without ANY DOUBT AT ALL -- that this poor creature (humachimp? chimpuman? whatever we call it) would be treated as LOW life form, probably be used for the entire length of his life.

Why? because htat' just the way our society works, unfortunately.

 

~moo[/quote']

 

Right.... so you don't consider a chimp to be a lower life form? Should they have the same rights we have? Im not sure I would want to be sharing the road with a Humanzee but thats just me.

Well, I don't concider a HUMAN to be one, so if you create a chipuman (whatever) -- what will you do with it? is it for the intention of "upgrading" chimps, or "downgrading" humans?

 

Is it to make it come to human society or belong to a chimp society? Either way, it's not fitting any of the worlds.

He'd be a novelty, and subject to scientific research all his life.

Which I find immoral as it is. We have enough to "test on". Mking one for the purpose of TESTING is just wrong. This hybrid will have a consciousness that should be more advanced than a chimp and less advanced than ours. It still concidered to be quite advanced in scientific and nature terms.

 

And if we start a "mass" making of these creatures, they'll be used for either scientific research (which is extremely unethical if the creature has consciousness, specially a chip-human hybrid one) or be used for "hard" chores.

 

It's the way our society works...

 

And then, maybe 500 years from now, those creatures would go on a freedome campaign to free their race from slavery. Who knows.

 

~moo

Im not sure I would want to be sharing the road with a Humanzee but thats just me.

 

actually, you do that every time you get behind the wheel, just look around at some of the other drivers and their driving skills. (trying to be funny)