[extropy-chat] Code 46

[Robin Hanson]

At 07:21 PM 6/18/2005, Bryan Moss wrote:
>>I just watched the DVD of "Code 46", a movie that was released almost a 
>>year ago, and found it to be one of the most thoughtful science fiction 
>>movies I've seen in a long time.  Was it discussed on this list?
>
>I don't recall any discussion.  Although I had some problems with the film 
>it did have some interesting ideas.  **SPOILERS**  I thought the 
>behavioural modification through gene therapy was particularly well 
>realised.  Both the "empathy virus" and the engineered aversion to sexual 
>contact seem quite plausible.  However, I'm not quite sure why, in a world 
>where I imagine they would be able to cure most hereditary diseases, 
>they'd need to take such extreme precautions against "Code 46" violations.

I agree.  That was the producers trying to push certain sex themes.

>That said, the separate issues of using memory alteration and behavioural 
>reprogramming in response to "crimes" and the perplexities of living in a 
>world where reproductive technology is apparently so prevalent that 
>genetic-similarity has become culturally meaningless were worth exploring.

It also seemed that there were a lot of dangerous possibly-engineered 
pathogens running around; three people who were forbidden to travel and 
then traveled illegally died soon as a consequence.  The social adaptations 
described to deal with this made some sense.



Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323