Comparing and Contrasting Jekyll's Experiment to the Process of Cloning

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“It was the curse of mankind that in the agonized womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling. How, then, were they disassociated?” (Stevenson 66). In the book, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry Jekyll was trying to create a potion that would separate the evil and good in a human being. His goal was to try to get them to be two different personalities instead of just letting them combine and be one. Jekyll believed that this would create an easier way of living. Jekyll’s experiment is very similar to scientific experiments in the world today. One example is cloning. Cloning is taking a human or non-human organism and making an exact copy of the organism that is being, using a somatic cell. The goal is to have two separate beings after the experiment is done. These two philosophies, Jekyll’s theory and cloning, are very similar to the World Transhumanist Movement. This movement’s goal is to better the human race by the use of technology and science. Jekyll’s experiment has many differences and similarities to cloning. Such as, both are very risky, cloning deals with creating a whole new being, while Jekyll was trying to create two different beings in one, and that both experiments are very difficult to perfect.
The experiments of Henry Jekyll and the process of cloning are both very risky. Jekyll’s experiment can damage him long-term, physically, mentally, and emotionally. “…had I risked the experiment while under the empire of generous or pious aspirations…” (Stevenson 69). This experiment affected his morals and beliefs. The proof of how much harm the experiment caused was that it brought so much pain and terror to the life of Jekyll. Jekyll could no...

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...t beings within one, good and evil, while cloning tries to create a whole new being. All three concepts believe that these experiments are very risky, and that they take a long time to perfect. Humanity should not continue the practice of cloning. There are too many risks and it is very unreliable and unpredictable.

Works Cited

• "Dolly (sheep)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. .

• Lindsey, James. "What Are the Risks of Cloning?" What Are the Risks of Cloning? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. .

• Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Toronto: Bantam, 1981. Print.

• "UK TRANSHUMANIST ASSOCIATION." UK Transhumanist Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .

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