Another devastating and profound moment from Douthat’s Interesting Times:

“What do you mean?” perfectly captured both her limits of imagination and her soullessness.

The most soulless “what do you mean” I’ve ever heard

it sounds like he's trying to bring the Spenglerian argument that: “When the ordinary thought of a highly cultivated people begins to regard 'having children' as a question of pro's and con's, the great turning-point has come.”

It seems profound but really its emotive slop. There's no substance behind this other than a vague Burkean conception that "this is how procreation is therefore thats how it should be." Vibes aren't a substantial argument.

I think of this exchange like once a week lol

The meaning attributed to the scene is created by the author’s mind, not inherent in the method of birthing a child.

He’s so good. We are lucky to have him

Doesn't seem to me that parents would be losing something poem-worthy if they have a child by IVF. Surely the existence and behavior of the child are the relevant parts. The child would still be there in the bed anyway.

The poem’s world the destruction of which Ross is pre-lamenting is itself a sterile technological construct, in the good old days there would have been no child’s footsteps in the hall cuz the whole family would’ve been sleeping together on the floor of the one room mud hut

"What do you mean?" "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it"

Man i love this guy

Here's the video: Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. 8/7/2025. "Silicon Valley Wants to Optimize Your Children's Genes." Featuring Noor Siddiqui, CEO & founder of Orchid Health. .

@pegobry_en She is the embodiment of the film Gattaca, where society looks down on and derides “love children” in favour of genetically selected offspring.

There's millions of people born of IVF alive today and I imagine their parents love them just as much as any other parents love their children

Where's her response though?

Look in her eyes. She has no fucking understanding of what he's talking about.

Pretty weak tbh

We have more power at our disposal today than we have ever had, and yet we are more alienated and estranged from the inner ground of meaning and of love than we have ever been. - Thomas Merton

................."what do you mean".............-_-?

In case anyone’s wondering: her answer to this (and to all questions about ethics throughout the interview) was a complete dodge. It is only worth hearing to confirm the fact that she sees the moral & societal ramifications of her technology to be beneath consideration.

Yeah let’s deny families choice by stopping a technological advancement because it’s more romantic to have a baby through regular boning. Whatever man.

@pegobry_en her insane smile while he speaks is just crazy… get this woman away from any power and influence

Ah, yes. Orchid. The people who let you avoid having a special needs child, supposedly. Which is another way to say, eradicate all special needs people on the front end.

one of the few remaining taboos in Silicon Valley is asking actually profound questions - only performative ones are sanctioned

What was her response? We ned to stop thinking in binary terms. Both can be the option for parents. Its their choice.

It was a devastating moment from the perspective of people who agree with Ross, but as Matthew Anderson wrote (and persuaded me of!), probably not a moment that had a chance of persuading her

As if often the case, Matt is more prescient and understanding and knowledgeable about this. And from my replies, his point only stands.

Her uncomfortable grin says it all. What fkn weirdo.

If people genuinely value natural conception enough they'll opt for that instead of IVF; the way to find out what people really value more is to let them choose.

Noor is the greatest and you guys will never be on her level in any way whatsoever

moral autism of "what do you mean?"

It was interesting. What was devastating and profound in your view?

How did she respond?

These people have gotten so rich of Silicon Valley money that they’ve lost all sight of what it means to be a human

The vacuous, vapid grin says it all.

I forgot how funny this moment was lol