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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…
do so a world of clones, castes and predestination becomes a disturbingly plausible reality geared towards its own destruction. Huxley was very critical of genetic manipulation and playing God. The genetic treatment of Alphas and Epsilons implies that Huxley believed genetic manipulation could enhance a person's abilities or severely limit them. Intentionally stunting a person's abilities is cruel and unethical because they will never reach their full God-given potential and only be able to do jobs of low expertise and reward. The lower class clones in Brave New World will never experience the freedom that most people experience and are not even able to pick their own area of expertise. Mustapha Mond makes a remark about this when he explains his philosophies with John: "Expecting Deltas to know what liberty is! And now expecting them to understand Othello! My good boy!" (Huxley 220) Alphas and Betas are at least able to reap many of society's benefits and think largely for themselves. In extreme cases such as Bernard Marx, they are even able to question the system. Deltas, Gammas and Epsilons undergo genetic conditioning so severe that they will never be able to think independently of the system or enjoy any form of freedom which is why Mustapha Mond scoffs at the very idea John proposes. The rewarding and elite positions will forever be held by the Alphas and Betas. The World State ensures that the lower castes remain the and ensure social stability by manipulating with God-given human liberties. Alphas and Betas possess the highest social standing and power in the World State. Furthermore, this gives them an immense advantage over the lower caste and ensures that the lower caste stays oppressed. Specialized genetic manipulation ensures that no one moves up or down in their social standing. "Everyone works for everyone else. We can't do without anyone. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn't do without Epsilons. Everyone works for everyone else." (Huxley 74) This hypnopaedic phrase Lenina recounts implies that all members of the World State are equally important. All members may contribute to society as a whole and consequently each other, but the castes do not enjoy the same privileges or reap the same benefits. Mankind tries to converge into giant colonies in Brave New World because it is not only productive but easier to control the population. It is almost like a hive. "Like aphides and ants, the leaf-green Gamma girls, the black Semi-Morons swarmed round the entrances, or stud in queues to take their places in the monorail tram-cars," (Huxley 63) suggests that the lower caste workers are essentially the equivalent of mindless drones in the hive that is the World State. Social insects are incredibly productive because of this hive mentality. The workers do all of the labor and dying and do not spare a single thought about their own desires or wellbeing. Similarly, the denizens of the World State are bred to fill a role in the World State. There is little individuality because everyone finds their identity in society as a whole. "Everyone belongs to everyone." However, such a society is not the nature of man. This may work for simpler organisms such as ants or bees but man is infinitely more complex. Insects have no individuality or free will because the hive could not function if this were so. Mankind possesses freedom and individuality and was not intended to be a purely social creature. When man does come together in such a way, it results in despotism and tyranny similar to the World State or even the Nazi regime. Man needs time alone to reflect and ponder life's truths and fallacies. The World State society demanded a person never be alone and always with the community. This ensured that they never stopped and questioned the truth. If truth never comes into question then happiness never will either, thus insuring stability. Attitudes on genetic manipulation in the United States tend to be a mixed bag. On one hand, Americans have built an expectation to live longer and longer and said living is assumed to be good. There is also an expectation that technology can do this for us and in many ways it has. Conversely many people disagree with this sentiment. Theists believe that it is not what God intended and distorting the purpose he set in place. Atheists believe that it is simply not the natural way of reproduction. For the most part, human cloning is legal in the United States. Within the scientific community it is called, "somatic cell nuclear transfer". DNA from an adult or somatic cell is extracted and then injected into an unfertilized egg. The United States seems to view this as another form of reproduction for baron or same-sex couples and it is not considered unethical. The degree of genetic manipulation seen in Brave New World such as producing dozens of embryos from a single egg is not yet possible. But attitudes have been hesitant to implement it and for good reason. The undertaking of trying to fully replicate a human being could be a horrific process of trial and error for years and years. It is possible that products of failed science would be accidentally created en mass and quietly disposed of. If this did happen, these experimentations would likely come under the scrutiny of the public eye and subject to a myriad of ethical concerns as it is essentially abortion in reverse. Whether or not this becomes possible, the process will be a gross waste of resources and funds as there is bound to be trial and error regardless. A world where genetically modified people live alongside the common man faces many inherent problems.
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
implemented. In any society, someone always has to do the dirty jobs but few individuals want to do them. The World State is efficient because the lower castes members of society are conditioned to the point where they do not consider their toilsome labor to be work and do those jobs with dogged joy and determination. If elite clones are produced in America to serve the higher needs of a society, than it only makes sense that inferior, more simple clones or people that aren't genetically enhanced would have to be produced to do the humble jobs. However, this would not be feasible. Deltas, Gammas and Epsilons are all bred to be genetically inferior to Alphas and Betas who are fully developed and cognizant. Even if these lower-class clones were subject to similar conditioning, the process would fully work unless these beings were kept in total isolation of the world around them. One of humanities greatest strengths is its inherent ability to adapt and reason. These lower class clones will see the privileged life they are missing out on and rebel. Man is inherently more than just conditioning. And if any more higher level functions are denied from these clones, they will not even be able to fulfill their duties. Leaving these lower class clones in isolation would mean that the entire country would have to be kept in isolation. The United States would be no different than North Korea or communist Cuba. America would become the very thing it has tried so hard to fight. Contemporary America is rejecting God. Christianity and other theistic religions are seen as foolhardy and counterintuitive to science. Many people would argue that God has no place in deciding whether or not cloning is unethical. They would argue that since God is a construct of man and does not exist, then whether or not cloning is unethical is up to man. From their understanding, this argument is fair. If man is merely an accident of the evolutionary process and not made in the image of God than it only make sense that man gets to pick and choose. The Bible clearly states that man was not made for man's purpose but for God's. Man is set apart from the rest of creation because he possesses the capacity to think, learn, know and seek God. Man was made of God's own image for a unique and very direct purpose. Contemporary society has scorned and attempted to disprove this truth which consequently resulted in the acceptance and advancement of abortion, genetic experimentation and manipulation. All of these things and more resulted from a low view of God. During their encounter John tells Mustapha that God does not change. Mustapha replies with: "Men do though," to show John that in his eyes, God is a psychological crutch invented by man to explain and cope with the ills of the world. God has no place in the World State and if he is erased from America, then the ethics of science will be much more lenient. Mankind was made for so much more than being the overly-sociable, reliant creatures portrayed throughout the novel. The conditioning that the World State citizens undergo as fetuses is cruel and it only goes so far to keep them in check. Humans at their core are not hive animals. Soma and their intentionally never-ending, hedonistic lifestyles are evident of this. The process of genetic manipulation is unnatural and harmful. The right way for humans to live is through natural birth and within community, not the hyperactive, mega populations of the World State. If people do not hold to the fleeting perception of life and community that is found in society today, than a world of debauchery and division similar to the one Huxley portrays will be their reward.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.