You and You A Clone
Scott Adams put an interesting post on his blog today. Basically, he poses this situation: you’re a supermodel who has no money. A billionaire offers you $100,000,000 for your DNA so that he can clone you for himself. The clone will basically be for his own sexual pleasure. She will be raised in such a way that this doesn’t seem strange to her, and she will have all the luxuries she could want. He adds,
“Assume also that your clone won’t be forced to do anything against her will. She will simply be raised to believe the billionaire is a godlike creature and the rest will happen naturally. No laws will be broken. And she will live like a princess except for the part about being a clone whore to an old, rich fat guy. In other words, the quality of her life will be in the top 10% of the planet if you consider the wretchedness the average human’s life around the world.
Would you sell your DNA for $100,000,000?”
That’s where his post ends. But I thought some more about it. Let’s say that all of the above is true. But, let’s also say that the billionaire has a cup with your DNA on it that he picked out of a public trash can after you threw it away. He is going to clone you either way (assume for our purposes here that it is perfectly legal for him to do this without your consent, as you did willingly throw the cup away in a public place). But out of the kindness of his heart, he offers you the $100,000,000. Let’s say you are opposed to this because you know that although your clone may life a happy life, she is going to be treated like an object. The only two options in this case would be a) your DNA is cloned and you get nothing, or b) your DNA is cloned and you get $100,000,000.
Here’s my question for this case: If you are opposed to something that is absolutely inevitable, is it wrong to profit from it?
Granted, this is hypothetical, and there are very few situations in life that will have such black-and-white factors and only have two options. Many times there will be multiple options. But what do you think of this case?
Rachel responds:
Posted: December 28th, 2006 at 12:49 pm →
If it is inevitable I would say take the money and do something positive with it. If you are opposed to cloning, use some of it to lobby for cloning reform or to rescue clones that are abused or raised for nefarious purposes like said supermodel’s clone.
Even out of the worst evil man has ever seen, some good has always come out of it. If you have no choice but to accept the evil, do whatever you can to produce some good out of it.
Andy responds:
Posted: December 28th, 2006 at 1:12 pm →
My, my, my. Don’t think I’d take it. No way I could sell myself into slavery. I’m not sure how much of a sample is necessary for cloning, a couple cells or does it take a pint of lifeblood to make sure of a viable sample? Plus, your clone is still going to be submitted to brainwashing on the scale of the japanese empire during WWII (emperor = god). Wrong on so many levels. I would subject no human being to that….let alone Andy v 2.0.
basic theology responds:
Posted: December 28th, 2006 at 1:24 pm →
i’d say, instead of having him clone me, i’d just have sex with him all the time and join the top 10% of the world. i wouldn’t want some bitch that looks like me being queen of the world, and not me. although i am not really a “queen” sort of guy, except in the manner of queen the band, in which case, i sort of am. but, that’s besides the point. actually, i’ve changed my mind, but am too lazy to erase.
i will let him clone me, take the money, and then tease him later on to give me MORE money to have threesomes. with me, my hot clone, and him. that’ll drive him nuts. he’ll pay me more money to do that. maybe i’ll even liberate my clone afterwards, and have the twin supermodel sister i’ve always wanted.
Playtah responds:
Posted: December 28th, 2006 at 3:55 pm →
Rachel - I would lean more toward that direction as well.
Andy - I’m not exactly sure what they’d need. But if it was going to happen either way, why not make the bad guy poorer?
basic theology - I never thought of all that. Of course, if your clone became queen of the world, you could always kill her and take over her role. Would that be homicide or suicide?
David in DC responds:
Posted: December 28th, 2006 at 8:20 pm →
If the clone becomes queen and you kill her, the one way you don’t want to do it is to get into a naked catfight with her on a roof.
Because if you win, and push her off the roof, you’d just be arrested for making an obscene clone fall.
Playtah responds:
Posted: December 28th, 2006 at 11:04 pm →
David - I totally just laughed out loud. You are the master of wordplay! HiLARious!
ANON1 responds:
Posted: December 29th, 2006 at 8:41 am →
I would take the money, party for a year straight and then overdose on something.
Andy responds:
Posted: December 29th, 2006 at 10:31 am →
Money doesn’t buy happiness or clear a conscience. And if he stole my DNA maybe I’d just sue him later for MORE money and get the clone freed.
minijonb responds:
Posted: December 29th, 2006 at 1:27 pm →
Yes, I would sell my DNA for $100,000,000 …and then I would go to Vegas and bet it all on black at the roulette wheel =;-)
Bev responds:
Posted: December 30th, 2006 at 9:09 am →
Yes I would sell my DNA. As long as I had no idea what was going on with my clone. I don’t want to know I just want the money.
basic theology responds:
Posted: December 31st, 2006 at 2:34 am →
i know i commented earlier, but, i went away and thought about it some more, and came back with a more realistic answer.
i would do anything for $100,000,000. to be entirely honest, there is nothing in the entire world that i wouldn’t do for that amount of money. a man could shit in my mouth, and then shove a balloon up my ass and i would have to shit the same shit i just ate into this balloon and then throw it at a police chief. i would do that. and much worse. i would spend 40 years in prison for $100,000,000.
Shodan responds:
Posted: January 11th, 2007 at 6:24 am →
David, you should be ashamed. That was old before you were born…..
Basic, you’re a sick bastard and I hope you get your wish and are able to have someone shit on you….
Bev, you’re the reason slavery still exists in the world. “I’ve got mine and I don’t care about anyone else….”
Rachel, did you just disembark from the Good Ship Lollipop?
Playtah responds:
Posted: January 11th, 2007 at 9:33 am →
Oh, look. A drive-by judging.