It's interesting how Chinese scientists describe their ethical standpoint as being largely determined by their culture. I would hope that at some point, scientists all over the world would converge to a set of ethical principles that everyone can agree on, regardless of geographical location. It's also such a shame that the "publish or perish" rat race is forcing scientists to bend their principles and do unethical things.
Finally, this is an interesting quote:
- The mind-set among Chinese researchers, according to Mr. Yi: “ ‘We’re going to do it, then see what’s wrong, then fix it. But the conceptual discussion may be missing.’ ”
They cite the Christian believe in the sanctity of life of embryos as the source of the morals they don't feel obligated to follow. I don't think that is the main issue people have with genetic engineering, though. What makes people uncomfortable seems to be the homogenization of the population, and an enormous advantage for children born to parents wealthy enough to make their children super-humans through genetic engineering. I don't know if Confucianism has anything to say on that, but it seems pretty wrong by any ethical standard I can think of. I wonder if there would be as many Chinese scientists bending their ethics if there wasn't an enormous financial incentive to publish high-profile findings.
This seems like another instance of doing something that seems bad for the greater good. I somewhat disagree with your opinion that we should work toward a unified set of ethical principles, mostly because that would cause a lot of problems between nations. In my opinion, one can't ethically impose their own value system on that of another culture. I have come to find that this is the most consistent guiding principle in my life, but that's another discussion entirely. If you want to read more on it I recommend the book Lila by Robert Pirsig. It's an interesting read, although it's far from exhilarating. That said, there are definitely problems with letting the Chinese and anyone else go their own way. While I'm against a unified ethics system, I do think a better system for testing things preemptively is needed. I don't claim to know enough about science to know of any possible solutions, though. I can just see China's speed and competitiveness of development leading to problems when they don't look before they leap. For instance, the process where they do something, look at the problems, then fix them could be an existential threat when it comes to something we only have one chance at, like Artificial Intelligence. While it seems like a huge leap, this article and its follow-up provide valid reasons why humans need to take the utmost care when pursuing science. (Long read warning) Overall, I definitely have mixed feelings about this, but I think for now I'm somewhat glad there is a group of intelligent people who are willing to do what is not allowed elsewhere for the betterment of man. By the time the potential Great Filter of Artificial Superintelligence comes around, I think China's economy and rate of growth will be somewhat slowed and stabilized. Of course, that is complete speculation on my part. Thanks for sharing this article.