We will be looking into the films, Gattaca, and Wall-e. With these two films we will discuss Technology and ethics. To discuss ethics, we must first define ethics, ethics is considered to be the guidelines in which people decide what is “right” and “wrong”. Which can be considered relative as they may depend on the situation and the priorities of the individual. We will be applying ethical dilemmas based on available hypothetical technology displayed in the films. When does technology overreach into the unethical realm, and also whether or not there should be just one person to be able to make decisions for everyone. The similarities between Gattaca and Wall-e is the ethical dilemmas that comes with the technology available to them. There will …show more content…
These two abilities combined made it possible for a new hierarchy to arise, one based on DNA. It is not ethical to base someone’s worth on biology, that falls under the same circumstances as racism. The reason this should not be considered ethical is that DNA, or skin pigment is not the basis of success, nor ability. As stated in the reading “The best possible child” to have a child with the best genetics is relative, changing depending on the situation and the people. While in Gattaca there was a hierarchy that was based on technology in Wall-e the ones in charge seemed to be the technology. Technology should never be in charge, as they are programmed and in that sense will not necessarily make the best decisions. Instead, technology should be like a loosely defined guideline. A perfect example of how technology was in charge is seen when the Captain of the ship has a hard time getting the ship to follow his commands, while the humans drifted through life doing the least possible, and without any real purpose. Besides the captain there was no one else really in any position to make …show more content…
They were both advanced from our current situation, but in the end new technology means new regulation. As new technology is engineered there are new responsibilities that must be taken into account. The responsibility of who should have access to this technology what would be the restrictions on the technology, and if only one person should have command over these decisions. Firstly, there should be more than one person that has to be responsible for the decision as many people are egocentric. The more people involved the more input and ideas that can be considered. It will make decision-making a little more complicated, but some decisions require time. There needs to be a process in which all possibilities are considered and the decision is well analyzed and digested, instead of rushed. In both films there are decisions taken on by one person. This decision can be seen is an advantage to the character making the decision. In Gattaca there is a decision to leave the hierarchy in place, when there is a possibility of Vincent changing the status quo, this was very greedy in that he made his main goal to get into space instead of helping everyone else. In Wall-e the decision to go back to earth was very selfish, as he was the one fascinated to how things used to be, while nobody else really seemed to
What is the social construct reality? The Thomas Theorem? (chapter 4) How might it be illustrated in the film? Provide specific examples.
When one thinks of a society of genetically advanced individuals at first glance it might seem like an advantage, but upon taking a closer look you can see the flaws in these perfect people. The world of Gattaca is superficial and judgmental; the only way to measure the worth of a person is by the wholesomeness of one's blood. They do not know for sure that someone will die or develop a heart condition all they have to work with is a percentage of the chance of it happening. This brands the world of Gattaca as an unfit and inferior world than our own. When a society discriminates against a group of people they lose valuable and productive members of society. In Gattaca the hardest working, most driven person was someone that they thought should
Rules and catalysts have become ubiquitous, diminishing or even eradicating opportunities for the exercise of discretion, which is fundamental to the advancement of good judgment as well as personal satisfaction. Modern philosophy and culture has shifted away from phronesis, practical judgment, in favor of techne, technical rationality. The fundamental threat that technology imposes on us is linked to our inability to think and act “outside the box.” David Tabachnick, a professor in the department of Political Science, Philosophy and Economics at Nipissing University, attempts to find and enforce limits on technology in his book, The Great Reversal, by exploring “the possibility of the return of good judgment to limit the role of technology
In the 21st century, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (a screening test used to determine if genetic or chromosomal disorders are present in embryos) can easily be achieve at a high price. This had help doctors predicted and prevented many babies with special features. As a kid, we learned in school that our genes define who we are as a person and without them, we all would look very alike and would act in the very same way. However, does our genetic served more than defining our personalities, likes, or dislikes? What if people were to look at your genes under a microscope, will they be able to tell beyond your cosmetic appearance and see things such as your goals and ambition? Gattaca did a pretty good job of proving this point of view
Firstly, a concerning issues related with the enhancement of characteristics through genetic means is discrimination in society. The text “Flowers for Algernon” epitomizes discrimination, where the protagonist Charlie Gordon undergoes a revolutionary change from his mental disability to a genius through an experimental surgery. Following the experiment, his intelligence escalates to a degree such that he progressively becomes isolated from the rest of society. Furthermore, Gordon explains his new intelligence to have “driven a wedge between [him] and all the people [he] once knew and loved” and expresses that “people don’t talk to [him] anymore and it makes [his] job lonely” (insert reference). This reveals a form of discrimination between the upper class and lower class individuals. Likewise, the film “Gattaca” depicts discrimination through the contrast of individual characters. The protagonist Vincent Freeman, is a naturally conceived baby who inherits a “99% probability [of developing] a heart disorder and a subsequent life expectancy of 30.2 years” (insert reference). In contrast, Vincent’s younger brother Anton has been artificially conceived providing him with physical advantages complemented with remarkable ...
We classify one another in four or five classes based on features and judge one another’s internal abilities based on race (Adelman and Herbes-Sommers 2003). We are quick to simplify the complexity of an individual based on physical features and what we assume to be correct. As stated in episode one, there is nothing biological to justify race (Adelman and Herbes-Sommers 2003). There is no chromosome or trait that can be singled out to say a group or a race is better at any particular activity. But, as a society we want to use and manipulate science to say one race is superior. The same ‘science’ that proves positive qualities in the dominate race, is used to diminish the equity in the minorities time and hard work in their craft. African Americans are overall known to excel at athletics. White Americans wanted to link race to athletic ability (Adelman and Herbes-Sommers 2003). Those in power, the dominate race, want to demean the hard work of an individual in a minority race. The majorities say there is a certain trait that allows ‘their kind’ to be good at a particular activity, not that the individually worked hard and put in the rigorous hours to be successful.
Brooks, Jamie D., King, Meredith L., (2008). Geneticizing Disease. Implications for Racial Health Disparities. Center for American Progress. Progressive Ideas for a Strong, Just, and Free America. Retrieved from https://www.geneticsandsociety.org/downloads/2008_geneticizing_disease.pdf
“Black, white and brown are merely skin colors. But we attach to them meanings and assumptions, even laws that create enduring social inequality.”(Adelman and Smith 2003). When I first heard this quote in this film, I was not surprised about it. Each human is unique compared to the other; however, we are group together based on uncontrollable physical characteristics. Eyes, hair texture, and skin tone became a way to separate who belongs where. Each group was labeled as having the same traits. African Americans were physically superior, Asians were the more intellectual race, and Indians were the advanced farmers. Certain races became superior to the next and society shaped their hierarchy on what genes you inherited.
Good morning, listeners. Welcome to Future Forum. I am Millie Shan. An exciting topic for us to discuss today is the challenges for the future. What concerns could our future generations confront? 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 alter society into a genetic hierarchy establishing a dystopian society accompanied by genetic discrimination. GATTACA made in 1997, an intriguing science fiction film directed by Andrew Niccol, delivers an insight into how the
One can define being ethically moral by understanding the difference between what is right and what is wrong. It is what shapes an individual’s behavior, their beliefs, and the rules that they follow through. However, not everyone shares the same view of morality. In modern times, ethics is constantly tested, in situations such as robotics, 3D- printing, and in particular surveillance (NSA). Many people argue that surveillance is needed especially so that if anything were to happen, people would be able to be prepared and to deal with the situation accordingly. However, several other people believe it is against our human rights and that we have the right to privacy, which is what Edward Snowden, a previous CIA technical assistant, strongly
Sandler, Ronald L. Ethics and Emerging Technologies. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2013. Print.
Millions of people flock to the movie theater year after year on a quest to be entertained. Even a mediocre movie has the ability to take the audience to another place, escaping the realities of their own life, if only for a mere two hours. Some movies are simply pure entertainment. And then, there are those movies that provoke conversation long after the film has been viewed. Dystopian themes are not new, and have historically provided a template to gage the course of human existence. The Matrix portrays a society where humans exist without freedom. The film is not only entertaining, but also thought provoking. It paints a world with two different dimensions, one with the mind numbing constraint of technology, the second with endless possibilities and free will. When closely examined, a world very much like today’s. The Matrix uses technology to dominate humankind, by implementing a socially stabilizing virtual reality program, thus warning that humanity’s obsession with technology can weaken the mind.
...puter technology are rooted in the general ethical issues that people in society deal with. For example, the ethical issues such as invasion of privacy, theft, and fraud have been around since human beings began interacting with each other. The fact is that elements of these ethical issues are not unique to the computer field or computer technology. These current technologies raise the same ethical dilemmas with conditions that are unique to computer and cyber technology. This explains why we general ethical issue are such as privacy, theft and fraud are reexamined as informational privacy, identity theft and computer fraud in computer technology.
Barbour, Ian Ethics in An Age Of Technology. Harper Collins Publishers Inc: New York, 1993