fandomhigh | Ye Shall Be As Gods?

"Today's topic," she said with a faint smile, once everyone had taken their seats, "is cloning." The weekend might have given her the idea to talk about this now, yes. Not that Juli had found the radio to be highly amusing or anything. And she was terribly grateful that she’d been spared any strangeness while it had been happening.

"Specifically, I want to discuss human cloning. Cloning is creating, essentially, an exact genetic replica of a human being or part thereof. In this world, at this time, full human cloning - that is, the creation of a living human being, is impossible." Juli might have been amused by this. "I am sure, quite sure, that this is not the case for all of you. In my universe cloning is quite possible."

"How many of you have heard stories about 'evil' twins? There is some truth in those when it comes to cloning. You cannot, and I repeat, cannot clone someone's personality from a purely genetic standpoint. A clone will be an exact physical replica - but variations in the upbringing can produce significantly different people despite them starting as the 'same'. Just because someone can be created to look like you, does not mean they will act like you.” Leaning against the front of the desk, Juli crossed her hands neatly over her stomach and tried not to look too amused. “No one can say exactly why any of us turn out the way we do."

"With that in mind," she continued on, glancing at each of her students for a few seconds before moving on to the next, "I'd like the class to discuss why would anyone want to clone someone when there is no guarantee of them turning out to be the person you wanted. What would be a positive side to cloning? A negative? If cloning was wide-spread what sort of an affect do you think it would have on the world over time?"

[~~Wait for the~~ OCD is up! Have at it!]

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"Cloning sucks," Peter said. He was direct and to the point this week.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Juli asked, mildly amused.

"It sucks a lot?" Peter tried. "A whole lot?"

"Why does it?" she said, still amused, "What rational do you have for that opinion?"

"Personal experience," Peter said. "I really don't want to get into it, but I just wanted to be on record as saying that it sucks. A whole lot."

"Alright," Juli conceded, "I'll accept that. But can you think of any good points to cloning?"

"If the person who does the cloning knows what he's doing with genetic manipulation, you can see what you'd look like as a member of the opposite sex?" Peter suggested.

The guesses he had made about that for random insanity crashing cheerleader slumber parties with his fellow Stickbugs were way off.

That made her blink. "Excuse me?"

"Also, you have a chance to make a new friend with all of your interests if the cloning process is done right and their mind isn't rebooted by a psychic," Peter said.

"Your world sounds like a highly interesting one," Juli said with a perfectly straight face, "but hold the psychic thought for a later class. But assuming all your interests? What makes you think that a clone would do that?"

"Experience," Peter said. "I have no clue how, but it is possible with the right cloning process, apparently. And, no, it doesn't make any sense to me."

"That is rather outside the capacity of most clones. Genetics do not determine our interests." She had to ask. "Was it you that was cloned?" Juli wondered, "And in that case did you get along with yourself?"

"Yeah, it was," Peter said. "Um, there were extenuating circumstances, but all things considered I got along pretty well with the one that was the most like me." She wasn't exactly like him, for reasons made obvious in this narrative by the use of pronouns.

"Do you think that would hold true for most people?" She asked, "Getting along with themselves."

"Given the right situation, sure," Peter said. "I mean, it's not impossible or anything for any given person to get along with their clone, but it's probably going to at least start off weird."

For example, it might involve punching, Peter reflected.

"You have a talent for understatement," Juli noted, "I'm sure many of your classmates would say it'd start off more than merely 'weird'."

"Don't forget, I come from a nutty world," Peter said. "Compared to giant robot space bugs that tried to eat the planet, this was bordering on normal."

Ye Shall Be As Gods? - Class 3, Period 3

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