Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering & Our Food

[Stella]

It's application in 3rd world and poverty prone communities makes it appear like a God given gift to us.

https://markpshea.com/2023/09/02/are-gm ... -our-food/

[gherkin]

I don't know what the link says because I'm frankly not very interested in what Shea has to say about things. In general, I wouldn't put much trust in the reports of industrial agriculture. Of course they're going to tell you we need GMO's to feed the world and save the starving millions. That's what advertising is--the attempt to sell you stuff you don't need by convincing you that you need it. IF they can convince you they've saved billions of lives, they've sure made a compelling pitch. It's not nearly that simple and in fact I'd say they're mostly telling the opposite of the truth. One person to check on this for at least part of the opposing story is Vandana Shiva. See her Who Really Feeds the World for starts. https://www.alibris.com/Who-Really-Feed ... matches=22

[Vern Humphrey]

I don't know what the link says because I'm frankly not very interested in what Shea has to say about things. In general, I wouldn't put much trust in the reports of industrial agriculture. Of course they're going to tell you we need GMO's to feed the world and save the starving millions. That's what advertising is--the attempt to sell you stuff you don't need by convincing you that you need it. IF they can convince you they've saved billions of lives, they've sure made a compelling pitch. It's not nearly that simple and in fact I'd say they're mostly telling the opposite of the truth. One person to check on this for at least part of the opposing story is Vandana Shiva. See her Who Really Feeds the World for starts. https://www.alibris.com/Who-Really-Feed ... matches=22

Everything we eat is a GMO -- corn, wheat, cattle, etc., have been crossbred to produce modern descendants who barely resemble the originals.

[Stella]

I don't know what the link says because I'm frankly not very interested in what Shea has to say about things. In general, I wouldn't put much trust in the reports of industrial agriculture. Of course they're going to tell you we need GMO's to feed the world and save the starving millions. That's what advertising is--the attempt to sell you stuff you don't need by convincing you that you need it. IF they can convince you they've saved billions of lives, they've sure made a compelling pitch. It's not nearly that simple and in fact I'd say they're mostly telling the opposite of the truth. One person to check on this for at least part of the opposing story is Vandana Shiva. See her Who Really Feeds the World for starts. https://www.alibris.com/Who-Really-Feed ... matches=22

I looked up Vandana Shiva on Twitter. She references 'Gaia' a lot as through which we foster a relationship with the earth as a fertile mother. I personally don't mind drawing from those cultures understanding and wasn't perturbed by the Pachamama symbolism at the Amazon Synod. With her science background as well, she does sound like someone I will follow.

[gherkin]

Everything we eat is a GMO -- corn, wheat, cattle, etc., have been crossbred to produce modern descendants who barely resemble the originals.

This is not true. GMO's include elements from organisms that cannot naturally be connected to the "host" organism. Using selective breeding and whatnot to influence desirable traits in the next generations is not genetically modifying them in the relevant sense.

[gherkin]

I looked up Vandana Shiva on Twitter. She references 'Gaia' a lot as through which we foster a relationship with the earth as a fertile mother. I personally don't mind drawing from those cultures understanding and wasn't perturbed by the Pachamama symbolism at the Amazon Synod. With her science background as well, she does sound like someone I will follow.

Yes, she's Indian and not to my knowledge connected to Christian Faith in any way. I wouldn't want to follow her religious ideas, but her ideas about farming and culture are pretty important, IMHO, and in fact a great deal of what she says on those matters echoes what the Church actually teaches. This isn't surprising, since of course we recognize the power of the human intellect even outside of Christian Revelation to find truth.