Worthless Reflections: Genetic Engineering
Getting into more worldly issues, I decided to make a simple attempt at discussion genetic engineering and cloning, as they seem to be among one of the greatest modern technological threats, as was the atomic bomb in it's respective early stages. How would I answer a question such as:
Do you believe genetic engineering and cloning are beneficial to the world's society?..why?
I do not believe genetic engineering would be beneficial for several reasons, particularly those of morality. Genetic Engineering may be used for several things, such as increasing the flavour and size of vegetables and other food products, both of which may carry serious health consequences later in time.
In the case of cloning (esp. human), I see almost no benefit whatsoever, and the moral issues are severe in all cases:
Like in the case of the ultimate successful cloning of the sheep in the U.K., would it take 297, give or take, tries to attain the desired result?
What would we do with the first 296 deformations?
Take their life just as we created it?
..better yet..What gives us the right to decide who lives or dies?
Or even worse, would we simply force them to suffer in the mutant vessel we created because it would be inhumane for us to kill it?
Who would we clone that could prove beneficial to the world?
and If we did clone this person, even though the clone's mind may be similar, who is to say their soul and motivations are?
Who is to say the clone would have a soul at all?
Wouldn't others be inclined to clone leaders who may not be so favourable?
With the ever increasing flow of information, ie. internet, wouldn't time prove probable for formulas and such easily obtainable for the average person or terrorist?
If adopted as a common practice, couldn't we, possibly, find our world in a severe state of overpopulation?
While discussing this subject in one of my Sociology classes, a great point was made by a young lady, who, although I don't care very much for, I respect the fact that the idea was thrust out of her mind and I feel that I must credit her with it, as she seriously deserves it.."The people who want to go out and try to clone humans seem to have only one valid agruement for their motives, which is very similar to that of the boy who went out and murdered a child, 'just because he wanted to know what it was like', yet he is labeled immoral and punished, while these scientists are given no distress from the law or government whatsoever"... or something to that effect. I could not have thought of a similar scenario of unequal consequence, myself..
Earlier in that discussion, while speaking of the sheep and what benefits could be made by cloning animals for food, another student shouted out, "Sheeps also give us cotton..".. This particular statement made me think, perhaps, only physical characteristics may be replicated, therefore, leaving all these clones with a very little mind capacity, as it seems obvious that the mind of a sheep could probably not be measured against another very easily, leaving it, therefore, undetermined as to whether or not the brain power could fully develop.
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