The notion that humanity will evolve further, or be changed by genetic or surgical manipulation, fascinated science fiction writers all through the 20th century. Biological sciences were getting closer in the 1990's, when Nancy Kress wrote a trilogy, Beggars in Spain, Beggars and Choosers, and Beggar's Ride. She explores ethical and sociological possibilities, that is, the impact on people and society of biological change. Today a person might feel he would have done better in life if his parents had been able to pay to send him to a better school. In Kress' stories, a person might feel bitter and handicapped because her parents had not been able to pay for genetic modification of her IQ and her facial bone structure when she was a foetus.
The stories extend today's concerns with the gap between rich and poor, with some ironic twists.
Some people exploit the science, producing humans with extra limbs or internal organs for the illegal transplant trade, or modified for the illegal sex trade. This is a small step from today's purchase of a kidney or an eye from a living person who is very poor, or the tricking or forcing of women and children into the sex trades.
With a good plot and interesting characters, science fiction writers can lead us to think ahead. SF may not so much predict the future as goad us to think about choices in the present.
Just Learning
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