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In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley questioned the idea of genetic manipulation long before it was considered scientifically achievable, let alone disputed. The majority of the people residing in his fictional World State are spit out of factories and manufactured like cars on an assembly line. They are ruled by technology; it plays a centrifugal role in the very fabric of who they are and it is idolized for that. Consequently, all people's lives are devoid of meaning. Technology is not to blame however, it simply serves as a catalyst for a low view of humanity and genetics. Here in the 21st century, we are still masters of our own destinies but with the frightening expanse of technology within the past two decades a world similar to the one Huxley portrays becomes a very real possibility. The contemporary view of genetics is declining and if it continues to …show more content…
On the surface, the process seems good and beneficial. Once such levels of genetic manipulation are achieved, companies will place patents on the process itself and on genes that people may want or find desirable and it will become a very lucrative industry. This may also allow scientists to effectively perfect the human genome and erase any negative mutations or defects found within DNA. However, obtaining one of these beings would only be reserved for the incredibly wealthy. A race of smarter, healthier elite will come into the world and there would be a divide between the common natural born man, and this new synthetic elite. Prejudice against this young race will take root and if this prejudice is left unchecked it could develop into a form of racism and oppression. Clones may even be made illegally against an individual's will and identity theft would be taken to a whole new level. Bio-signature scanners would rendered obsolete and costly new forms of identification would have to be
A person's individuality begins at conception and develops throughout life. These natural developments can now be changed through genetically engineering a human embryo. Through this process, gender, eye and hair color, height, medical disorders, and many more qualities can be changed. I believe genetically engineering a human embryo is corrupt because it is morally unacceptable, violates the child's rights, and creates an even more divided society.
A problem that could arise is a repeat of history. Inequality. Our society would be divided into two groups, the “valids” or “perfect humans” and the “in-valids” or “non perfect humans.” This is just another form of discrimination, whereby people are judged because of the circumstances of they were born, something that they have no control over. "I belong to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the colour of your skin. We now have discrimination down to a science." -Vincent. In the film “in-valids were granted less rights than the “valids.” Sounds familiar? In the 1960’s many protests occurred because of the inequality and brutality against African-Americans, who had their rights taken away from them based on the colour of their skin. Introducing the practice of genetically modifying humans to live up to the ideology of perfection could cause protests, violence, chaos and possibly a repeat of the Civil Rights Movement. For many years our society has been attempting to eliminate inequality, but this practice could just as easily re-create
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the author depicts a collective society in which everyone has the same values and beliefs. From a young age, the people in the World State’s civilization are conditioned to believe in their motto of “Community, Identity, Stability.” Through hypnopaedia, the citizens of the World State learn their morals, values, and beliefs, which stay with them as they age. However, like any society, there are outsiders who alienate themselves from the rest of the population because they have different values and beliefs. Unfortunately, being an outsider in the World State is not ideal, and therefore there are consequences as a result. One such outsider is John. Brought from the Savage Reservation, John is lead to conform to the beliefs of the World State, thus losing his individuality, which ultimately leads him to commit suicide. Through John and the World State populace as an example, Huxley uses his novel to emphasize his disapproval of conformity over individuality.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World portrays a society in which science has clearly taken over. This was an idea of what the future could hold for humankind. Is it true that Huxley’s prediction may be correct? Although there are many examples of Huxley’s theories in our society, there is reason to believe that his predictions will not hold true for the future of society.
When James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA in 1959, they could not have known that their discovery would one day lead to the possibility of a human factory that is equipped with the capabilities to mass produce perfectly designed, immortal human beings on a laboratory assembly line. Of course, this human factory is not yet possible; genetic technology is still in its infancy, and scientists are forced to spend their days unlocking the secret of human genetics in hopes of uncovering cures for diseases, alleviating suffering, and prolonging life. In the midst of their noble work, scientists still dream of a world—a utopia—inhabited by flawless individuals who have forgotten death and never known suffering. What would become of society if such a utopia existed? How will human life be altered? Leon Kass, in Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics, acknowledges genetics technology’s greatness, and applauds it for its invaluable, benevolent contributions to mankind. However, Kass argues that if left to their devises and ambitions, geneticists—with the power of their technology—will steal away society’s most precious asset; genetic technology will rob society of its humanity. Genetic technology can, and will, achieve great things, but unless it is regulated and controlled, the losses will be catastrophic and the costs will far exceed the benefits.
It is undeniable that rapid technological and scientific progress not only improves convenience and efficiency of our daily life, but also causes ethical concerns to humanity where science and technology intersect with society from different disciplinary aspects. In particular, preimplantation genetic technology could have altered society into a genetic hierarchy, establishing a dystopian society accompanied by genetic discrimination. GATTACA, made in 1997, is an intriguing science fiction film directed by Andrew Niccol, that delivers an insight into how the world has perceived genetic engineering and draws on challenges over reproductive technologies to facilitate eugenics, and the possible consequences of such technological developments for the individual and society if such progress goes unchecked. Niccol presents Vincent Freeman, the protagonist as a representative of those who are born naturally, therefore he is seen as imperfect and ‘invalid’, no matter how hard he attempts and holds a bigger dream than ‘valids’ who had their genes selected so they could be as perfect as possible, yet he is never accepted and treated as inferior, second-class citizens.
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley deftly creates a society that is indeed quite stable. Although they are being mentally manipulated, the members of this world are content with their lives, and the presence of serious conflict is minimal, if not nonexistent. For the most part, the members of this society have complete respect and trust in their superiors, and those who don’t are dealt with in a peaceful manner as to keep both society and the heretic happy. Maintained by cultural values, mental conditioning, and segregation, the idea of social stability as demonstrated in Brave New World is, in my opinion, both insightful and intriguing.
There are rivals of human cloning that believe it goes against the morals they were raised with. Some think reproductive cloning can be considered unethical and against god’s “wishes” since the clones were created by man and their conception does not occur naturally. Viewing from the social aspects, organizations like The Americans to Ban Cloning (ABC) coalition reason that the creation of genetically superior beings will only further divide society. The genetically greater humans will be, theoretically, more intelligent and more attractive compared to normally conceived beings. Thus, the thought of normal means of reproduction becomes impractical. Others believe that genetically engineering a human would get rid of the concept of diversity since the same “perfect” genes would be used repeatedly. Subsequently, the creation of the “perfect” gene will require an extensive amount of time and experimentation. This will create an understanding that children are designed and replicated for certain
Genetically modifying human beings has the possibility of greatly reducing/completely eradicating disease and could allow for longer lifespans within the near future. However, there are many issues associated with genetic engineering including being misused for ulterior motives and ethical problems. While there is good that can come from genetic engineering, the many detriments associated with it far outweigh the few positive outcomes. In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s idea of genetic modification is far more extreme and unethical than any current real world technologies, but if the technology continues to rapidly grow, Huxley’s future may not be that far off from the truth.
One of the most pressing issues in Brave New World is the use of science and technology and how it affects people’s lives. In the novel, technology is far more advanced than it was in Huxley’s time. One of the main uses of technology in the book is for making human beings. Humans are no longer born, but rather “decanted (Huxley 18).” Technology and science are used to make an embryo into whatever kind of human that is desired. Some embryos are even deprived of oxygen in order to make the person less intelligent much like a soggy piece of pizza.
It will make diversity and uniqueness weak, everyone will be "perfect" and no one will focus on the uniqueness of human beings. The great things we may achieve will be of less value since more people will be similar and have those same abilities. Children will be less appreciated because they will be more of a product (robot) than a unique gift. Through this practice we will face the dangers of races being eliminated and our world becoming a male dominated place. Genetic modification takes away our right to create and live our own story. If we are all genetically modified our lives will all be similar and less exciting. If creating designer babies will weaken diversity and uniqueness, why should we allow it? The world will be dull and full of clones, is it worth
Savulescu, Julian. “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Human Beings.” Readings in the Philosophy of Technology. Ed. David Kaplan. 2nd ed. Lanham: Roman & Littlefield, 2009. 417-430.
but, is it a positive or negative for humankind? With this advanced genome editing technology we can form specially modified humans such as super soldiers and even hand pick what we want our children to look like before they’re even born. Gene editing can fix inherent diseases in a child by blocking the disease out of the embryo but, putting a child's appearance and health in the hands of a genome editor is extremely unethical, one single mistake can cause horrific defects and life-long struggles. Gene editors can fix what parents don't want their kids to have including attached earlobes, color of eyes, nostrils, and hair color. No creation on this planet is supposed to be flawless it would be unethical. If everyone was enhanced, there would be no meaning to the word. If all humans were born with desired traits, flawless features and perfect body types there would be some form of arrogance on what real life is. No one is or should be perfect it’s flaws that make each human individual and special. Gene editing is more evil than good. "So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein — more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of
There were quite a few changes made from Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World to turn it into a “made for TV” movie. The first major change most people noticed was Bernard Marx’s attitude. In the book he was very shy and timid toward the opposite sex, he was also very cynical about their utopian lifestyle. In the movie Bernard was a regular Casanova. He had no shyness towards anyone. A second major deviation the movie made form the book was when Bernard exposed the existing director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, Bernard himself was moved up to this position. In the book the author doesn’t even mention who takes over the position. The biggest change between the two was Lenina, Bernard’s girlfriend becomes pregnant and has the baby. The screenwriters must have made this up because the author doesn’t even mention it. The differences between the book and the movie both helped it and hurt it.
In conclusion, it is clear that human cloning has enormous potential benefits or negative consequences to the human race. It also demands funding for further development and error methods. Cloning humans not only threatens society, but also the value and uniqueness of every individual. Maybe they will have a check box where it asks if you are a clone or an original. We do not need any more discrimination than what we have going on now. How I mentioned in the beginning, human cloning will be detrimental to the human race. This is clearly going against the course of nature.