Genetically-Engineered "New Soviet Man"

[MerryPrankster]

Inspired by the Draka and their Homo drakensis and Homo servus.

How can we get it so the Soviets actually make a serious attempt to use genetic engineering to create a new species or subspecies of humanity that would be more amenable to Communism?

I'm thinking more group-oriented, less individualistic, and, if you really want to push it, perhaps the ability to form a hive mind in large enough groups.

The only idea I've got for it is to get rid of Lysenkoism, since that hobbled Soviet genetic science (including germ-warfare research) for years.

 

[mailinutile2]

Inspired by the Draka and their Homo drakensis and Homo servus.

How can we get it so the Soviets actually make a serious attempt to use genetic engineering to create a new species or subspecies of humanity that would be more amenable to Communism?

I'm thinking more group-oriented, less individualistic, and, if you really want to push it, perhaps the ability to form a hive mind in large enough groups.

The only idea I've got for it is to get rid of Lysenkoism, since that hobbled Soviet genetic science (including germ-warfare research) for years.

Genetics, such as cybernetics and some other ones was initially classified as a bourgeous pseudo-science
but i thing they changed the idea, later

 

[Timmy811]

Stalin did order his scientists to produce Ape-men hybrids. How much wackier can you get?

 

[mailinutile2]

Stalin did order his scientists to produce Ape-men hybrids. How much wackier can you get?

Cyber-Bears vith vibro-claws?

 

[BlackWave]

Get rid of their project to track down crystal skulls, of course.

 

[ninebucks]

Realistically, the science to even attempt anything like this is decades away from even today, so the first step to this would be getting the USSR to survive into the future.

The first experiments would probably be done on lesser animals, probably starting with modifying non-eusocial ants and bees to adopt eusociality. And then I guess moving on to rodents, (mole rats exhibit eusociality, so maybe some species related to them).

Only after years of that will they start attempting to create hives of eusocial monkeys. And human experiments will only ever be top secret.

 

[Sovereign12]

Realistically, the science to even attempt anything like this is decades away from even today, so the first step to this would be getting the USSR to survive into the future.

The first experiments would probably be done on lesser animals, probably starting with modifying non-eusocial ants and bees to adopt eusociality. And then I guess moving on to rodents, (mole rats exhibit eusociality, so maybe some species related to them).

Only after years of that will they start attempting to create hives of eusocial monkeys. And human experiments will only ever be top secret.

The only problem I see with this approach is that this is supposed to be communism. If they went the route of manipulating man into a eusocial organism it would set up a class system, which is what communism would supposedly surpass in the first place as a totally classless society.


As to removing Lysenko from doing harm in the first place. Even if he was, the Russians had an aversion to eugenics and genetic engineering because of the Nazis. While there were many geneticists doing research in the Soviet Union, most were in the field of Agriculture and Microbiology, before the ban.

 

[MerryPrankster]

Realistically, the science to even attempt anything like this is decades away from even today, so the first step to this would be getting the USSR to survive into the future.

Or advance science earlier, which is why I suggested getting rid of Lysenko.

Or both.

 

[MerryPrankster]

The only problem I see with this approach is that this is supposed to be communism. If they went the route of manipulating man into a eusocial organism it would set up a class system, which is what communism would supposedly surpass in the first place as a totally classless society.

As to removing Lysenko from doing harm in the first place. Even if he was, the Russians had an aversion to eugenics and genetic engineering because of the Nazis. While there were many geneticists doing research in the Soviet Union, most were in the field of Agriculture and Microbiology, before the ban.

1. Could an egalitarian eusocial system be set up somehow?

2. Well, it might be a good idea to get rid of the Nazis as well.

 

[Sovereign12]

Or advance science earlier, which is why I suggested getting rid of Lysenko.

Or both.

While it is not the thing you posited, the removal of Lysenko would help the sciences in the SU in general. The man was a hack who claimed basically bad research as his own (and these theories were already about fifty years old).

What he was good at was kissing the right ass and gaining a bit of power. The problem with this was he did it at the expense of some really good researches in biology and other fields to make himself look good. Sociology, physics, chemistry, and others had bans placed on possible research directions. Many of these researchers were even imprisoned for a time.

So yeah, without Lysenko the SU would have been better off science wise. And when you consider they launched the first satellite, what else could they have done earlier?

 

[AmIndHistoryAuthor]

Inspired by the Draka and their Homo drakensis and Homo servus.

How can we get it so the Soviets actually make a serious attempt to use genetic engineering to create a new species or subspecies of humanity that would be more amenable to Communism?

I'm thinking more group-oriented, less individualistic, and, if you really want to push it, perhaps the ability to form a hive mind in large enough groups.

The only idea I've got for it is to get rid of Lysenkoism, since that hobbled Soviet genetic science (including germ-warfare research) for years.

Their New Man wasn't a mindless drone. Essentially it's a stronger version of the Perfectability of Man idea pushed ever since the Renaissance, that stripped of the corrupting effects of the worst parts of western tradition, traits like greed, corruption, and selfishness will fall away.

So you wouldn't breed for docility. (Well, Stalin might, if he wanted a labor force of drones. But in that case it's no longer their New Man. It's forced labor without having to round up anyone or build fences to keep them from escaping.) You'd breed for nobler character traits, a nation of men like secularized wholly human Jesuses in terms of moral philosophy, minus the need for theology or the threat of punishment from a deity to enforce that moral philosophy.

Of course Stalin might not like the results. Imagine such men trying to reform the unjust system they see around them, perhaps even using passive resistance to try and bring down the USSR.

 

[Blair152]

Inspired by the Draka and their Homo drakensis and Homo servus.

How can we get it so the Soviets actually make a serious attempt to use genetic engineering to create a new species or subspecies of humanity that would be more amenable to Communism?

I'm thinking more group-oriented, less individualistic, and, if you really want to push it, perhaps the ability to form a hive mind in large enough groups.

The only idea I've got for it is to get rid of Lysenkoism, since that hobbled Soviet genetic science (including germ-warfare research) for years.

There was an episode of Monster Quest which claimed that the Soviet Union had developed a race of ape men. Yeah, right! Soviet Tarzans swinging through the trees of Gorky Park. GIVE ME A BREAK!