The Case Against Perfection by Michael Sandel

Michael Sandel is a distinguished political philosopher and a professor at Harvard University. Sandel is best known for his best known for his critique of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice. While he is an acclaimed professor if government, he has also delved deeply into the ethics of biotechnology. At Harvard, Sandel has taught a course called "Ethics, Biotechnology, and the Future of Human Nature" and from 2002 to 2005 he served on the President’s Council on Bioethics (Harvard University Department of Government, 2013). In 2007, Sandel published his book, The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering, in which he explains unethical implications biotechnology has and may have in the near future regarding genetic engineering.

The ethics behind genetic engineering have been discussed and argued for years now. Some arguing points often include competitive advantages, playing God, and the polarization of society, but Sandel takes a different approach in explaining society’s “unease” with the morality of genetic engineering. Broadcasted through several examples throughout the book, Sandel explains that genetic engineering is immoral because it takes away what makes us human and makes us something else. He states that by taking control of our genetic makeup, or the makeup of our progeny, we lose our human dignity and humility. Our hunger for control will lead to the loss of appreciation for natural gifts, whether they are certain talents, inherited from the genetic lottery, or the gift of life itself.

Sandel explores the immoral nature of genetic enhancements through their potential use in athletics, creating “Bionic Athletes.” The world admires athletes for their expression of great skill in their resp...

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...In doing so, society will fail to appreciate the wonders that nature provides. While the basis of Sandel’s case is hypothetical and dependent on future innovations, he provides interesting ethical insight that may not normally be contemplated when questions of genetic engineering are at hand.

Works Cited

Harvard University Department of Government. (2013). Michael Sandel. Retrieved December 9, 2013, from http://www.gov.harvard.edu/people/faculty/michael-sandel.

Nihira, M. (2012). Amniocentesis Test. WebMD. Retrieved December 8, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/amniocentesis.

Philosophical Films. (1997). Gattaca. Retrieved December 9, 2013, from http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/gattaca.htm.

Sandel, M. J. (2007). The case against perfection: ethics in the age of genetic engineering. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.