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The effects of genetically modified food
Effects of genetically modified food
Effects of genetically modified food
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1. Michael Bess in the excerpt from Our Grandchildren Redesigned asserts his idea that through innovations like genetic engineering, new medicines and bioelectronics people will improve their control over emotions, live longer healthier lives, and they will raise our abilities in both thought and action. This brings increased benefits such as blind people being able to see again with genetic altering or hearing aid transplants that allow deaf people to hear for the first time. It can also allow for humans have a higher learning capabilities through medicines that increase focus or by the use of technological implants. People with debilitating genetic diseases may also be able to live their lives in a better and healthier state through genetic …show more content…
Some dangers people face include a larger more distinguished class divide caused by the poor not being able to afford these innovations which causes them to fall behind the rich. This especially matters with the educational enhancements that increase brain capacity and medical enhancements that help prevent genetic diseases and physical imperfections as opposed to the cosmetic uses of these new technologies. Also a longer life span will surely arise from genetic engineering and body modification. With a rapidly rising population due to less deaths and more births and toll will be taken on our planet and its resources along with the job market and economy. There will no longer be as high of a demand for jobs because people who have them will last longer in them, but people will still need jobs. This will increase the poverty rate and natural cycle of life and the economy. He also asserts that the things that make us truly human like our emotions will be disrupted by these technologies and people will have to redefine …show more content…
I somewhat agree with Michaels Bess’ caution at the end of the article that people need to hold off from using the rapidly increasing technology and science in body modification and genetic innovation because people do not know the full impact it will have on society. I agree that people are moving too fast in their innovations to be able to analyze how it is benefiting and hurting society. People are always updating their computers and phones for the next newest and greatest thing, but if we do that with our bodies there may be unintended affects that we were unable to see because of the speed of creation. Also many of these innovations made to help us are very invasive. We only want things that better us and we may not see the consequences of the medical procedures. A modern example of these is breast implants. People feel the need to get them because they will make them beautiful and a better human in that way, but they somehow forget the caution needed because it is still a major surgery that can cause infection and complications. Now if we add the futuristic competition that would come with procedures like biotechnology implants that enhance the brain capacity people will be even more inclined to forget the repercussions of such procedures because they need it to be equal with others. I do disagree with him in the idea of these new innovation saving people whose lives are threatened. If someone has a debilitating genetic disease that could cause death, then they
...e the quality of life of children. A big consequence to the use of genetic modification, shown in the movie Gattaca, is the prejudice that can be against those without genetic modifications. To create an idea of what the consequences of genetic modification will look like, a real world example would be racism and the use of eugenics to justify the prejudice against those who were not light-skinned or of caucasian descent. Neo eugenics is a very controversial topic that has a lot of possible benefits and consequences and will affect many generations to come.
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 ...
Recent breakthroughs in the field of genetics and biotechnology have brought attention to the ethical issues surrounding human enhancement. While these breakthroughs have many positive aspects, such as the treatment and prevention of many debilitating diseases and extending human life expectancy well beyond its current limits, there are profound moral implications associated with the ability to manipulate our own nature. Michael Sandel’s “The Case Against Perfection” examines the ethical and moral issues associated with human enhancement while Nick Bostrom’s paper, “In Defense of Posthuman Dignity” compares the positions that transhumanists and bioconservatists take on the topic of human enhancement. The author’s opinions on the issue of human genetic enhancement stand in contrast to one another even though those opinions are based on very similar topics. The author’s views on human enhancement, the effect enhancement has on human nature, and the importance of dignity are the main issues discussed by Sandel and Bostrom and are the focus of this essay.
Many people often ask, “Is it acceptable for human beings to manipulate human genes” (Moral and Ethical Issues in Gene Therapy). Most of the ethical issues centralize on the Christian understanding of a human being. They believe God made them the way they are and people should accept their fate.The Society, Religion and Technology Project have researched and found that countless people are curious if gene therapy is the right thing to do. They have a problem with exploiting the genes a person is born with due to the fact they consider it to be “playing God” (Moral and Ethical Issues in Gene Therapy). They are also concerned with the safety. On account of the unfamiliar and inexperienced technology. Gene therapy has only been around since 1990, so scientists are still trying to find the best possible way to help cure these diseases. Multiple scientists are cautious with whom they share their research. For the reason that if it were to get into in the wrong hands it could conceivably start a superhuman race. Author Paul Recer presumes using germline engineering to cure fatal diseases or even to generate designer babies that will be stronger, smarter, or more immune to infections (Gene Therapy Creates Super-Muscles). Scientists could enhance height, athleticism and even intelligence. The possibilities are endless. Germline engineering, however, would alter every cell in the body. People would no longer have to worry about the alarming and intimidating combinations of their parents’ genes. Genetic engineers are able to eliminate unnatural genes, change existing ones or even add a few extra. Like it or not, in a few short years scientists will have the power to control the evolution of
There are 22,000 genes in a single human cell. Do you think we can manipulate such a complex network of genes? Do you think we will be able to go against nature and redesign ourselves through the process of genetic engineering? The definite answer to that question is no. The human body is too complex for genetic engineering to be carried out successfully. Genetic Engineering will also create an unjust social hierarchy where the rich would be a perfectly crafted species and the middle class/poor would seem like the imperfect “outcastes” of the society. Moreover, genetic engineering will not give people the ability to choose what they want to pursue in their life. This is because, in such a world, parents would choose traits for their children before they are even born. So, humans would live how someone else wants them to live but not by their own choice. Therefore, genetic engineering to enhance human skills or abilities should be banned.
He is concerned that humans will lose their individuality and lose who they are. He also fears that humans will lose the ability to think deeper than the surface. Technology has a huge impact on the human race according to Gladwell and Carr; they argue that technology is supposed to be a positive thing to this generation, and even the future, but technology is actually impacting us in a negative way. We have lost so many things due to the advancements in technology that we have made over the years. These losses include the ability to use technology efficiently and the loss of human connection. They also provide recommendations about what they think their peers can do to fix this mess they believe in.
...hich inherited traits, such as those for genetic disease, can be tracked over generations. Throughout out the course of human development, scientists will continue to find new new ways to help the human race through the discovery of the human gene inside of each of us, its uses, as well as complications, that can help the survival of our species.
In this paper, I will argue that genetic therapies should be allowed for diseases and disabilities that cause individuals pain, shorter life spans, and noticeable disadvantages in life. I believe this because everyone deserves to have the best starting place in life possible. That is, no one should be limited in their life due to diseases and disabilities that can be cured with genetic therapies. I will be basing my argument off the article “Gene Therapies and the Pursuit of a Better Human” by Sara Goering. One objection to genetic therapies is that removing disabilities and diseases might cause humans to lose sympathy towards others and their fragility (332).
It was not that long ago that there was an age of no internet or computers. Life around the world has changed dramatically in the past thirty years. Technology has advanced at faster rate than ever before. We now know about many new things including humans including our DNA. It seems as though, the more we learn about the make up of our bodies, the more we are learning how to manipulate them. Do we want to let science take over our natural way of life? Russell Powell of the Journal of Medicine & Philosophy agrees that there is a common worry that humans could be harmed by genetic engineering of humans. The problem, Powell says, could potentially lead to the extinction of human life. By reducing human genetic diversity, we could end up with a biological monoculture that may increase our susceptibility to deadly diseases.
"The aim is to decrease the fear of a brave new world and to encourage people to be more proactive about their health. It [Gene therapy] will help humans become better physically and even mentally and extend human life. It is the future” (Hulbert). Dr. Hulbert, a genetic engineer, couldn’t be anymore right; more time, money, and research needs to be put into gene therapy and genetic engineering, since it can cure certain illness and diseases that are incurable with modern medicine, has fewer side-effects than conventional drugs or surgery, and allows humans to be stronger physically and mentally at birth. Gene therapy or genetic engineering is the development and application of scientific methods, procedures, and technologies that permit direct manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits of a cell, organism, or population (NIH). It essentially means that we can change DNA to make an organism better. Genetic engineering is used with animals and plants every day; for example with genetic...
One of the most necessary uses of genetic engineering is tackling diseases. As listed above, some of the deadliest diseases in the world that have yet to be conquered could ultimately be wiped out by the use of genetic engineering. Because there are a great deal of genetic mutations people suffer from it is impractical that we will ever be able to get rid of them unless we involve genetic engineering in future generations (pros and cons of genetic eng). The negative aspect to this is the possible chain reaction that can occur from gene alteration. While altering a gene to do one thing, like cure a disease, there is no way of knowing if a different reaction will occur at the cellular or genetic level because of it; causing another problem, possibly worse than the disease they started off with (5 pros and cons of gen. eng.). This technology has such a wide range of unknown, it is simply not safe for society to be condoning to. As well as safety concerns, this can also cause emotional trauma to people putting their hopes into genetic engineering curing their loved ones, when there is a possibility it could result in more damage in the
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
Scientists and the general population favor genetic engineering because of the effects it has for the future generation; the advanced technology has helped our society to freely perform any improvements. Genetic engineering is currently an effective yet dangerous way to make this statement tangible. Though it may sound easy and harmless to change one’s genetic code, the conflicts do not only involve the scientific possibilities but also the human morals and ethics. When the scientists first used mice to practice this experiment, they “improved learning and memory” but showed an “increased sensitivity to pain.” The experiment has proven that while the result are favorable, there is a low percentage of success rate. Therefore, scientists have concluded that the resources they currently own will not allow an approval from the society to continually code new genes. While coding a new set of genes for people may be a benefitting idea, some people oppose this idea.
The procedures that will be the future of modern medicine currently fall into the realms of taboo and fictional. These procedures encompass every aspect of medical science, from exploration of the human body, curing diseases, to improving a person’s quality of life. Many of these procedures are not very well known, while a few have been in the spotlight. These procedures include cloning, nano-robotics, retro-viruses, and genetic manipulation via gene-specific medications. For any serious breakthroughs in modern medical science, we must embrace these new forms of treatment instead of shying away from them. Second, I’ll attempt to explain how these methods and procedures could benefit mankind.