Agar argued that parents should be allowed to make genetic modifications to their children, as long these changes do not excessively limit the child’s ability to shape their own future.
"[5] He uses the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers to illustrate transformative changes that we correctly predict we may endorse once we have undergone them but that conflict with our prudential values.
In the film, humans are replaced by alien beings who share their memories and identities yet lack individual survival instincts and emotional depth.
Similarly, Agar argues that, while we might anticipate contentment post-transformation, we may wisely reject radical enhancements, as they risk erasing essential qualities that define our humanity.
He describes a phenomenon called "hedonic normalization" that Agar claims leads us to significantly overestimate the power of technological progress to improve our well-being.