The Enhanced Human, final task

Mission: Participate in an ethics group 

You are going to be part of an ethics discussion group, working on a hot topic of the moment:

1. Bionic humans (cyborgs — implants — brain stimulation — transformation )

2. Gene editing (stem cell research — saviour siblings — transplants)

3. Genetic selection (designer babies — eugenics — perfection)

4. Cloning (genes — doubles — identical — identity)

5. The enhanced human (cyborgs — micro-/nano-chip implants — genetically modified humans — control)


Write a collaborative essay for an ethics discussion group, which you will post to a blog.


Individually, leave comments on topics you will choose.

The Enhanced Human

 

The Enhanced Human

Since the end of the 19’s people have always seen the future with robots and machines inside us to enhance the limited abilities of the human race. Today some of these dreams have become true, like genetically modified humans or microchip implants. Even though this looks like a perfect future for us, some unexpected errors can happen, so could new technologies lead humanity to an end?

 

   A woman who was paralyzed was the first to use an exoskeleton making paralyzed people able to walk again, eat or even drink on their own. Some inventions are only there to help people’s lives in the daily routine. Altruistic people are needed to make the world better and going forward, scientists are also here to make things change, so our hopes are basically base on them.

   An american man got an implant in his brain to enhance his hearing abilities. This is becoming more common for people with hearing disabilities. However, some people unleash the power of these implants to use them for other purposes. This is the perfect example of how this “New technologies” era could end badly, because of people making bad use of these.

   Gattaca is a movie first presented in 1997 showing a near future. The society, in the movie, thinks human should be perfect to enhance human knowledge and abilities. People who aren’t modified are excluded of this society and have difficulty for living and earning money.

   If the world is like Gattaca, there would not be any more “normal” humans. Some industries like the pharmaceutical industry wouldn’t exist anymore due to the lack of diseases from genetically modified humans, strong enough to counter viruses. However, some people who aren’t genetically modified or haven’t got any microchip implant would be sick. This would divide the society into two-tier, poor people who come from poor families or countries that are underdeveloped and, rich people who are able to modify their abilities and knowledge.

 

   Genetically modified humans or bionic humans are great to enhance human abilities, knowledge, reduce the number of deaths, or even for advances discoveries like space exploration. But these things need to be regulated to work without making the human race to die…

  

 

Reasons why cloning should be prevented

Cloning is a type of genetic engineering that uses cells from one organism to create a second living organism that is genetically identical to the first. What was once only a part of science fiction might soon become a reality. Although we may not be able to copy someone’s DNA to create an identical individual as of right now, the idea of cloning is being discussed in our societies. What would happen if this becomes a reality? How would people use this technology? Should there be strict legislation surrounding it? We will try to bring an answer to those questions in two parts: We will first try to imagine how our societies would use cloning. Then, we will give our thoughts on the use of this technology and see what should be prevented.

First of all, this technology is expensive, which means only rich people would be able to afford it. If someone’s family member or very close friend dies, they would be tempted to clone him/her as a way to “replace” the person they lost. The government could also use cloning for eugenics. Eugenics is the study of methods that allow us to improve the human race via selective breeding. The government might use eugenics to set specific physical characteristics, thus obligating everyone to look almost exactly the same. It could also use cloning for military purposes. Creating clones of humans with super physical and mental aptitudes to create a powerful army may sound like a pitch from an apocalyptic movie, but it is a possibility that we cannot ignore.
We can also quickly address the issue of savior siblings. While it is not exactly cloning, it is still a very similar type of gene manipulation. Savior siblings are children who are born with particular genes that have been chosen in order to treat an older brother or sister who has a disease.
These are only a few examples. But because we have to stay short and to the point, we will only use them.

Having only the wealthy social class being able to afford to clone is a bad thing because it would furthermore increase the inequalities in our societies. The idea of cloning a dead friend or family member is messed up. Death is a natural phenomenon, just like sadness and grief is a natural part of our lives. We all experience it at some point and it should not be something to be so afraid of. Living in the past is not a good thing and cloning, in this case, completely undermines the idea of moving on. The government using this technology to control breedings and making everyone look the same would suppress the diversity that a lot of people fought for and that makes the beauty of our world. It would make thousands of years of civilization and History go to waste. Finally, cloning the same human being to create an army and savior siblings ultimately come down to the same issue: identity. Should each clone be considered his own person? Does being the “originals” allow us to command or look down on the “copies”? Those are very complicated issues.

In conclusion, cloning could create a lot of new issues that the government may not be able to address properly throughout legislations. We personally think that it is better to stop this madness before it even started because once cloning becomes a reality, things might get quickly out of hands.

Julien M.; Adel G. and Alexys A.

Genetic selection

Genetic selection

Genetics are the science related to genes and to the heredity. Genetic selection is a part of this science. It’s a way to attain the perfection that some people seek. To achieve this objective, geneticists modify some genes before the baby’s (or the embryo’s) maturation. Children will integrate better society thanks to the best of their parents’ genes because they can choose the physical, the intelligence of their babies through genetic selection.

This situation creates some debates over the ethical problems generated by genetic selection.

Therefore, we can ask ourselves: what are the impacts of genetic selection in the world.

Genetic selection has some negatives impacts. Indeed, genetic selection provoked crimes, genocides and selections by the way of eugenics. Eugenics is the practice or philosophy of controlled selective breeding of human population to improve the population’s genetic composition. For example, in United States of America, during the progressive era of the late 19th and early 20th century, eugenics was considered a method of preserving and improving the dominant groups in the population; it is now generally associated with racist and nativist elements, as the movement was to some extent a reaction to a change in emigration from Europe, rather than scientific genetics.  (WIKIPEDIA)This idea of eugenics was taken after by Nazi Germany during the world war II. People who are identified with congenital cognitive and physical disabilities, including prisoners, homosexual, were sterilized against their will for elimination from the chain of heredity. More than 400,000 people were sterilized against their will, while more than 70,000 were killed under a euthanasia program. This is not the only negative impact. In fact, there is also some people who will individualized eugenics. Those who use this form of selection features in their children. This may lead to the creation of babies who have the same physical, the same intelligence.

Nevertheless, this genetic selection makes better the humans resistance against diseases thanks to designer baby. Designer baby means a baby whose genes have been chosen by its parents and doctors so that it has particular characteristics. For example, some children are conceived through in vitro fertilization to ensure genetic compatibility in order to save a sibling from a terminal illness by providing an organ or cell transplant. it’s the situation of Jamie Whitaker who was conceived to heal Charlie, his brother, because he has the right DNA which be able to heal Charlie disease thanks to genetic selection which allow designer baby and in this way to put the right DNA to save people who are ill. So, we think that genetic selection is an amazing development scientific.

In conclusion, we consider genetic selection as essential advance because this selection allow to make better the humans resistance against diseases, to heal diseases thanks to designer babies despite this practice can be refused in many countries in spite of what happen in United Stats of America and during the World War II with Nazi Germany.

Bionic humans

It is possible to help humans thanks to new technology. Bionic means using artificial materials and methods to produce activities or movements in a person. Many people talk about it because it raises ethical questions. What is the impact of bionic humans on humanity?

The bionics allows thanks to implants and to prostheses to help people who one lost a member to live an easier life and to have a better integration into society.

However, the bionics also has inconveniences likes inequality between bionics humans and human because implants and prostheses become more successful than the corp simple human. It is possible that implants and prostheses break down and do not work any more.

The impact of the bionic humans one humanity is of helped the needy people with implants and so to help them for better one integration into society. But it can entail a inequality between bionic humans and humans. And the implant can fall one breakdown and more to work.

Gene editing

 

Nowadays it is possible to remove diseases thanks to saviour sibling. What is a saviour sibling? A saviour sibling is a child conceived through in vitro fertilisation to ensure genetic compatibility in order to save a sibling from a terminal illness. They may provide an organ or cell transplant. Some people see saviour siblings as objects conceived only to save the first child. Therefore, we can ask ourselves if it is worth to sacrifice lives to save others.

On the one hand, we can see saviour siblings as a new way to save lives. For example, Charlie Whitaker, who suffered an extremely rare genetic condition, was saved by his sibling Jamie who was conceived only to save his brother’s life. Charlie needed blood transfusions every two weeks and spent days in hospital. Thanks to his brother, Charlie is cured of his disease and can currently live a good life. Even if this story ends well, we can’t forget that this practice can waste lives.

On the other hand, we can see saviour sibling as something emotionless. Indeed, the child is conceived without emotion, he is just the medicine of his sibling. Moreover, when the child finds out that he was born not because his parents really wanted to have another child but because they need him to save another, he could take it bad. Learn that he is not really wanted is not something easy and could cause psychological effects. The child could waste his life because of that.

To conclude, saviour siblings have advantages but also drawbacks. In one hand you can save a life but in the other you can waste one. So, what is the good choice? Is it worth to sacrifice lives to save others? There is not a good answer. The answer depends on everyone.

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