is DNA proof of pre-determined fate?

I apologize if this is the wrong forum, but:

Its just a question...

One thing we've learned from the Human Genome project is that certain Genes are a precursor for things like diabetes and heart disease.

It seems as though our own destruction is programmed into the very code that makes us who we are.

Pre-determined doom?

reply to post by Andrew E. Wiggin


i don't know anything about DNA that goes beyond what i've seen on Discovery Channel or TLC or whaterver, so i'm sure there is a good chance i am wrong, but i thought that diabets and other diseases are just mutations that had an adverse effect, just as there are mutations that can have beneficial effects...am i close on that or am i missing something big?

In a word, no. Far from being the static thing once thought, DNA is highly dynamic, acting and reacting to emotions, environment, thoughts, Consciousness vibrations and so on.

Unless DNA already "knows" what each day will bring, there is no way it inhibits free will.

DNA is pretty much just another wildcard in a deck of wild cards.
Your life will still play out as you let it, the wildcards just change things up.

This is a good question, one that needs clarification for many people!

When you talk about predetermined fate in a medical sense, you're referring to Genetic Predisposition.

A genetic predisposition is a genetic effect which influences the phenotype of an organism but which can be modified by the environmental conditions. Genetic testing is able to identify individuals who are genetically predisposed to certain health problems.

This effect is not necessarily "predetermined fate", but can be "modified by the environmental conditions" that an organism encounters either willingly or unwillingly.

If you your genetic code doesn't include "Big set of wings that work really well", don't go jumping off a cliff.

Same applies to a diabetic predisposition. If your genetic predisposition is diabetes, don't go eating food that would throw you into a diabetic free fall.

I feel that too many people use genetics as an excuse not to take responsibility for their own health. I've personally had arguments with co-workers and some family members about these misconceptions.

reply to post by Enigma Publius


Diabetes is a disease of insulin. Type 1 diabetics are usually diagnosed at an early age because their body is unable to produce insulin. On the other hand, type 2 diabetics have created their own problem as their bodies have become resistant to insulin due to overexposure.

Type 1 may be caused from some type of mutation. I haven't researched it. Type 2, however, is not. It's contributed to long periods of malnutrition.

-Dev