# Breeding? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2016, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826 "2016-05-15T10:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/21 "2016-05-15T13:09:20Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > But back to my question, wouldn’t it be a bit of a waste of my genes if I didn’t pass them on to a child? It almost seems like a disservice to humanity. Sounds to me like your genes have already been wasted. This isn’t my personal view but rather a thought I had. Please pass no judgement. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/22 "2016-05-15T13:11:02Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > This wasn’t meant to be an emotional question, and I don’t plan or condone the ideals I meantioned, this is much more a hypothetical… If all of the smart people in the world intentionally had children strategically, would our society as a whole be better off a hundred years into the future. no, because it doesn’t work that way. Just because mom is a Nobel laureate and dad is a nuclear physicist doesn’t mean their kid(s) can’t be a fuck-up. > [@](#): > > This question wasn’t a moral question as it’s obviously immoral in our current society. I was just curious to see the ‘intelligent’ responces. hopefully your definition of “intelligent” isn’t “agrees with what I already think.” > [@](#): > > For example, if einstein’s parents chose not to have a child, what impact would that have on the world today. We’d be crediting the formulation of general and special relativity to someone else. You’re falling into the trap of believing that if Einstein hadn’t done what he did, then no one else would have. And that’s utter nonsense. > [@](#): > > Most geniuses are a byproduct of lust and it’s nearly random that they turned out the way they did. If it was likely that your child will be so brilliant that they can have a einstein level or hawking level of impact on the world is it a disservice to society (disregarding moral and ethical reservations) to not allow them to exist? Suppose my (putative) child was indeed a genius, but also inherited the (sometimes) crippling depression and anxiety which runs through my family, and takes his/her own life as a teenager? Would it not have been a disservice to them to bring them into existence? you cannot predict how any particular child of yours may turn out. “Being smart” doesn’t prevent genetic or congenital defects. “Being smart” doesn’t mean you can raise your kid to be a success. That you assume any kid of yours is inherently going to be a “genius” means you really need to re-set your view on life. I recommend a session in the Total Perspective Vortex. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/23 "2016-05-15T13:39:58Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > What? He’s a legend in his own mind. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/24 "2016-05-15T13:58:08Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > \…this is just a simple idea. That it is. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/25 "2016-05-15T14:08:19Z")
And since nobody else has mentioned it, you have no idea what your IQ is, because you’ve never taken an IQ test. And the fact that you’ve mistaken whatever you did take for an IQ test does not speak well for your actual intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/26 "2016-05-15T14:12:23Z")
If you want to further your education, you might look up “narcissism” in a psychology text. ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/27 "2016-05-15T14:22:20Z")
As the world record running speed is under 28 mph and you can go almost 30 will you be competing in Rio? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/28 "2016-05-15T14:25:31Z")
> [@Mithras](#): > > As the world record running speed is under 28 mph and you can go almost 30 will you be competing in Rio? And that’s only for 15-20 meters at best. And I’ll mention that benching 140 at 175 bodyweight is far from impressive. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/29 "2016-05-15T14:30:24Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > I’m also very athletic. I’m 6’ 4", can run nearly 30mph We’ve been over this, Steve; that’s not your _breeding_, it’s the super-soldier serum. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/30 "2016-05-15T14:39:22Z")
Statistically, intelligent parents don’t necessarily beget intelligent children. It’s called [regression toward the mean](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/31 "2016-05-15T14:44:25Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > We’ve been over this, Steve; that’s not your _breeding_, it’s the super-soldier serum. For us older folks, it’s the bionic limbs. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/32 "2016-05-15T14:45:52Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > She was the only person I was unable to manipulate by the time I was 12 years old. So, you’ve said that you want to discuss this as a general idea, and also that you’re able to manipulate anyone who’s not your mom. Which raises the question: did you deliberately manipulate us into discussing the breathtaking hubris that your first post evinces? If so, then sure, you got us! You may well not be interested in discussing the idea of eugenics as an abstract concept; you may have tricked all of us into expressing our disdain for braggadocio. If not–if you really wanted to discuss eugenics, but instead got a thread full of posts as close to personal attacks as this forum allows (and maybe over the line, that’s for mods to decide)–then you may want to revisit whether you’re really as skilled at manipulation as you believe. Edit: and I see that you’ve only posted in this thread, a single post in another thread, and another thread you started two years ago. My general advice–hang out, participate in threads that aren’t about you or by you, show some interest in other topics, so that people will take your posts more seriously–stands. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/33 "2016-05-15T14:53:21Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > I am a psychopath, which I view as an advantage not a disadvantage; a lack of empathy provides clarity in high stress or emotional situations. If this is true, I encourage you to get a vasectomy first thing tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/34 "2016-05-15T15:00:23Z")
Are you [Cro-Magnon](http://67.media.tumblr.com/25f1d0067bec1f14d5dfd89e169b3564/tumblr_nzsxkqfUQe1sa5stto1_1280.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/35 "2016-05-15T15:10:37Z")
Intelligence is passed along the X chromosome, so your IQ matters much less than the child’s mother and your own mother’s. That’s why genius sperm donors often have only moderately intelligent offspring. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/36 "2016-05-15T15:14:43Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Intelligence is passed along the X chromosome, so your IQ matters much less than the child’s mother and your own mother’s. That’s why genius sperm donors often have only moderately intelligent offspring. You forgot the 😉 (Poe’s Law and all that…) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/37 "2016-05-15T15:19:03Z")
Just so this thread isn’t all about **Papertrail** , I’ll mention that, as far as I can tell, I’ve been blessed with good genes, and once in a while the idle thought crosses my mind that it’s kind of a shame that (unless my life takes a very expected turn) I won’t be passing them on to anyone else. (Which, according to evolutionary psychology, is the whole point of life, _from the perspective of the genes themselves_.) But this has never been more than an idle passing thought. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/38 "2016-05-15T15:43:24Z")
Being as I am also quite intelligent - more intelligent than other people. And it seems to me the general population is becoming more and more stupid with every passing day. This is the way our world is heading… You might just be doing your potential kid a favor by not bringing him/her into this world! Frankly it is torture for me to witness such stupidity in this world - I am quite glad I am older. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/39 "2016-05-15T15:44:43Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > Apparently I am one or those people that are blessed with very good genetics. You meant “of”, right? > [@](#): > > I have an eidetic memory and I also remember things like speech patterns, voice pitch and visuials. I read nearly 20,000 words per minute while still comprehending each word. And yet you failed to proofread “visuals”. > [@](#): > > I always think many steps ahead. Do you, for example, review your posts before submitting them? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826/40 "2016-05-15T15:47:26Z")
> [@Papertrail](#): > > I read nearly 20,000 words per minute while still comprehending each word. Heh–I just noticed this. 20,000 words per minute works out to 333 words per second. Here’s a challenge for anyone curious. Click the spoiler box, give yourself a second to read as much as you can. The whole thing is 333 words long exactly (which is a lovely coincidence–I didn’t intend that when I grabbed the text). If you have an eidetic memory, of course, after reading it for one second you should be able to recite the entire chapter. Ready? One second. Go! “TOM!” No answer. “TOM!” No answer. “What’s gone with that boy, I wonder? You TOM!” No answer. The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for “style,” not service—she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear: “Well, I lay if I get hold of you I’ll—” She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat. “I never did see the beat of that boy!” She went to the open door and stood in it and looked out among the tomato vines and “jimpson” weeds that constituted the garden. No Tom. So she lifted up her voice at an angle calculated for distance and shouted: “Y-o-u-u TOM!” There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a small boy by the slack of his roundabout and arrest his flight. “There! I might ‘a’ thought of that closet. What you been doing in there?” “Nothing.” “Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What is that truck?” “I don’t know, aunt.” “Well, I know. It’s jam—that’s what it is. Forty times I’ve said if you didn’t let that jam alone I’d skin you. Hand me that switch.” The switch hovered in the air—the peril was desperate— “My! Look behind you, aunt!” The old lady whirled round, and snatched her skirts out of danger. The lad fled on the instant, scrambled up the high board-fence, and disappeared over it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breeding/754826.md?page=3)