I haven't smacked Leon Kass around lately, mostly because I haven't seen him in the news. That's a good thing.

Still, like mucking out the stables, it's something that needs to be done regularly. But not always by me! Check out "The Speculist" for a sensible, temperate article on cloning, grey areas, and ethics.

A few years from now, it may be possible to create an embryonic clone of myself. (Biology dictates that women are easier to clone than men, so it will be a while before I can do it.) Let's consider that embryo at four weeks. If I put it in the right environment, that blastocyst might grow into my identical twin brother. It isn't my twin brother now. It's just some growing tissue taken from my body and an egg I borrowed from somebody else. It would be an amazing little bud of life, similar to (genetically identical to) the amazing little bud of life that eventually grew into me. But we have a different developmental path for this bud. Rather than growing it into a separate human being, we're going to grow it back into me

It's even got a new Kass quote! Check it out.

Oh, and I was just kidding about not smacking Leon around lately.

If you scroll to the bottom of this article, you'll find a veritable Kassfest of links.

If you enjoy a splash of vitriol with your Classical Values, you might enjoy some of these oldies. They're from the heart.

UPDATE: Apparently I should read the fine print. The Speculist article in question was a re-run from several months ago. Therefore, the Kass quote in question is not new after all. I am ashamed of my inadvertant misrepresentation and beg forgiveness.