--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As soon as the genome had been cmpletely…" description: "\"“As soon as the genome had been cmpletely decoded (which would be in a matter of months) humanity would have complete control of its evolution; when th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png" --- # As soon as the genome had been cmpletely decoded (which… ![“As soon as the genome had been cmpletely decoded (which would be in a matter of months) humanity would have complete control of its evolution; when that happened sexuality would be seen for what it really was: a useless, dangerous, and regressive function.” quote by Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png) > ““As soon as the genome had been cmpletely decoded (which would be in a matter of months) humanity would have complete control of its evolution; when that happened sexuality would be seen for what it really was: a useless, dangerous, and regressive function.”” [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote predicts that decoding the genome will let humanity control evolution, making sexuality appear obsolete, dangerous, and backward. **In simple terms:** Genetic mastery may render sexuality unnecessary. Key Takeaway Question the role of biology in society. Themes technology evolution sexuality ethics Mood critical speculative Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - bio‑ethics debates - future planning - policy making Key Concepts genomics transhumanism social change Questions to Reflect On - How would removing sexuality affect human relationships? - What ethical concerns arise from controlling evolution? A Different Perspective Assumes technology will be universally accessible and accepted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-happened-858665/) [Genome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome/) [Genome Cmpletely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome-cmpletely-858663/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Soon Genome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soon-genome-858664/) ## Related quotes > [“The many meanings of 'evolution' are frequently exploited by Darwinists to distract their critics. Eugenie Scott recommends: 'Define evolution as an issue of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-wells/the-many-meanings-of-evolution-are-frequently-exploited-by-darwinists/) [Jonathan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-wells/) > [“The point is that the science is accurate in describing how the universe works, independent of the metaphysical implications one derives from it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scientific-american-editors/the-point-is-that-the-science-is-accurate-in-describing-how-the/) [Scientific American Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scientific-american-editors/) > [Evolution is evolution - and it's happened before us and will continue after we're gone. But, what's taking place now is much more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-solis/evolution-is-evolution-and-it-s-happened-before-us-and-will-continue/) [Brian Solis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-solis/) > [People don't show up here (at the courtroom) because they believe evolution is bad science. They show up because they believe that if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenie-scott/people-don-t-show-up-here-at-the-courtroom-because-they-believe/) [Eugenie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenie-scott/) > [You can imagine a different world in which a number of species developed with different genetically determined linguistic systems. It hasn't happened in evolution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-can-imagine-a-different-world-in-which-a-number-of-species/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We know evolution happened because innumerable bits of data from myriad fields of science conjoin to paint a rich portrait of life's pilgrimage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/we-know-evolution-happened-because-innumerable-bits-of-data-from/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [I think there's a lot of evolution that's happened in intangible ways, in terms of how I think about the work or how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-evolution-that-s-happened-in-intangible-ways/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [We know evolution happened not because of transitional fossils such as A. natans but because of the convergence of evidence from such diverse fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/we-know-evolution-happened-not-because-of-transitional-fossils-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Every new discovery about the genome is consistent with evolution having happened. Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/every-new-discovery-about-the-genome-is-consistent-with-evolution/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“In other words, the more genomically complex the organism, the larger the percentage of the genome devoted to gene regulation by the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-other-words-the-more-genomically-complex-the-organism-the-larger/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [While the Environmental Genome Project does not seek to assign allele frequencies, we are aware of the importance of accurate allele frequency estimates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/while-the-environmental-genome-project-does-not-seek-to-assign-allele/) [Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/) > [By being able to write a genome and plug it into an organism, the software, if you will, changes the hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schuler/by-being-able-to-write-a-genome-and-plug-it-into-an-organism-the/) [Barry Schuler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schuler/) > [This is a whole new era where we're moving beyond little edits on single genes to being able to write whatever we want throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-church/this-is-a-whole-new-era-where-we-re-moving-beyond-little-edits-on/) [George M. Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-church/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) ## More by Michel Houellebecq > [I think it's more difficult to live without a religion, definitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-it-s-more-difficult-to-live-without-a-religion-definitely/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I think that if writers don't speak about real life, it's because they don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-that-if-writers-don-t-speak-about-real-life-it-s-because-they/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“In my life, I had known suffering, oppression, anxiety; I had never known boredom. I could see no objection to the endless, imbecile repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/in-my-life-i-had-known-suffering-oppression-anxiety-i-had-never-known/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I admit that invective is one of my pleasures. This only brings me problems in life, but that's it. I attack, I insult. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-admit-that-invective-is-one-of-my-pleasures-this-only-brings-me/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“... I spent whole afternoons at Bon Marché looking at pullovers, there was no sense in going on like that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-spent-whole-afternoons-at-bon-march-looking-at-pullovers-there-was/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I've lived so little that I tend to imagine I'm not going to die; it seems improbable that human existence can be reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-ve-lived-so-little-that-i-tend-to-imagine-i-m-not-going-to-die-it/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Rumor had it that he was homosexual; in reality, in recent years, he was simply a garden-variety alcoholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/rumor-had-it-that-he-was-homosexual-in-reality-in-recent-years-he-was/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“He doesn't know it yet, but the infinity of childhood is brief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/he-doesn-t-know-it-yet-but-the-infinity-of-childhood-is-brief/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Olga was nice, Olga was nice and loving, Olga loved him, he repeated to himself with a growing sadness as he also realised that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/olga-was-nice-olga-was-nice-and-loving-olga-loved-him-he-repeated-to/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Regarde, c’est la mort, mon amour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/regarde-c-est-la-mort-mon-amour/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“The problem is, it's just not enough to live according to the rules. Sure, you manage to live according to the rules. Sometimes it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/the-problem-is-it-s-just-not-enough-to-live-according-to-the-rules/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Life sometimes offers you a chance, he thought, but when you are too cowardly or too indecisive to seize it life takes the cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/life-sometimes-offers-you-a-chance-he-thought-but-when-you-are-too/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“An entire life spent reading would have fulfilled my every desire; I already knew that at the age of seven. The texture of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/an-entire-life-spent-reading-would-have-fulfilled-my-every-desire-i/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Of course, we can distinguish between males and females; we can also, if we choose, distinguish between different age categories; but any more advanced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/of-course-we-can-distinguish-between-males-and-females-we-can-also-if/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasure-our-genitals-exist-the-god/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) [Explore all 144 Michel Houellebecq quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## More Genome quotes > [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [This is a whole new era where we're moving beyond little edits on single genes to being able to write whatever we want throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-church/this-is-a-whole-new-era-where-we-re-moving-beyond-little-edits-on/) [George M. Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-church/) > [“Every new discovery about the genome is consistent with evolution having happened. Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/every-new-discovery-about-the-genome-is-consistent-with-evolution/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [By being able to write a genome and plug it into an organism, the software, if you will, changes the hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schuler/by-being-able-to-write-a-genome-and-plug-it-into-an-organism-the/) [Barry Schuler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schuler/) > [While the Environmental Genome Project does not seek to assign allele frequencies, we are aware of the importance of accurate allele frequency estimates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/while-the-environmental-genome-project-does-not-seek-to-assign-allele/) [Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/) > [“In other words, the more genomically complex the organism, the larger the percentage of the genome devoted to gene regulation by the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-other-words-the-more-genomically-complex-the-organism-the-larger/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Though social eugenics was discredited long ago, we still often think of the genome in quasi-eugenic terms. When we read about the latest discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wolf/though-social-eugenics-was-discredited-long-ago-we-still-often-think/) [Gary Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wolf/) > [Recently, results of the Human Genome Project have shattered one of Science's fundamental core beliefs, the concept of genetic determinism. We have been led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/recently-results-of-the-human-genome-project-have-shattered-one-of/) [Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/) > [I think there are people who's lives have been saved because of the study of the genome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-think-there-are-people-who-s-lives-have-been-saved-because-of-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Heritability pertains to the entirety of the genome, not to a single gene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/heritability-pertains-to-the-entirety-of-the-genome-not-to-a-single/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I'm fascinated with genetic science, and I have been for a very long time. I always look at science and technology because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-rhodes/i-m-fascinated-with-genetic-science-and-i-have-been-for-a-very-long/) [Nick Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-rhodes/) > [It is important to consider whether the sample size selected by the Environmental Genome Project will provide sufficient power to discover most alleles relevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/it-is-important-to-consider-whether-the-sample-size-selected-by-the/) [Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/) > [Some software is actually pretty good, by any standard. Think of the Mars Rovers, Google, and the Human Genome Project. Now, that's quality software!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarne-stroustrup/some-software-is-actually-pretty-good-by-any-standard-think-of-the/) [Bjarne Stroustrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarne-stroustrup/) > [It's terrifying the way molecular biology has become more and more jargon ridden. But I strongly believe that my book can be read by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/it-s-terrifying-the-way-molecular-biology-has-become-more-and-more/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) [Browse all 114 Genome quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As soon as the genome had been cmpletely decoded (which would be in a matter of months) humanity would have complete control of its evolution; when that happened sexuality would be seen for what it really was: a useless, dangerous, and regressive function.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel Houellebecq" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely-decoded-which-would-be-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Genome" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely-decoded-which-would-be-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/michel-houellebecq-1497_genome_as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely_861600.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As soon as the genome had been cmpletely decoded (which would be in a matter of months) humanity would have…” — Michel Houellebecq", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michel Houellebecq", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As soon as the genome had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely-decoded-which-would-be-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/as-soon-as-the-genome-had-been-cmpletely-decoded-which-would-be-in-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```