In H.G. Wells’s “The Stolen Body”, he explores the desire of man to push the conventionally-accepted moral limits of human life, and play with fields like time travel, teleportation, and specifically in this story astral projection. Wells explores the consequences that can stem from such endeavors, along with the benefits. Because he ends the story on a positive note, despite the mayhem that stemmed from the astral projection in the body of the story, his words do little to deter the reader from exploring such fields, if this is in fact his goal. Wells indicates that Mr. Bessel was “particularly interested in the questions of thought transference and of apparitions of the living,” yet makes no implications or judgments on this fact.
The desire for man to push the limits is evident all throughout literature, music, and science among other things, with a variety of connotations. For instance, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the plot centers around a man attempting to reanimate a dead body, something that the average person would likely describe as “pushing the limits”, with ultimately disastrous results. Outside of fiction, scientists embark on new studies that society finds the morality or necessity of questionable. In the 1960’s, when the “Space Race” was really beginning, many Americans questioned whether space exploration was necessary, or even acceptable to send a living person into outer space. Today, we have no problem with sending people into outer space, and are even taking steps to send people on galactic vacations. Even today, controversies over
Brundeen 2 scientific research areas like stem cell research, nuclear power, and genetically-modifying foods, continue to be an issue, as people wonder whether we are going too...
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...wn opportunities and perils - a frontier of
Brundeen 4 unfulfilled hopes and threats”. Sometimes this is legitimate as going too far can bring about pain and sadness or “physical distress” as Wells puts it. But if you plant a tree in a comfort zone, it will bear no fruit. Pushing the limits is what brings forth change, discovery, and innovation.
In “The Stolen Body” by H.G. Wells, he explores the desire for man to transcend the boundaries of what society has defined as morally acceptable. However, he gives little to no indication as to whether this is right or wrong, choosing to leave it up to reader interpretation. Nevertheless, because there are benefits and downsides to every risk, as a society we can really only determine if an endeavor was worthwhile retrospectively.
Works Cited
Wells, H.G.. "The Stolen Body." Trans. ArrayThe Strand Magazine, 1898. Print.
In the debate over whether the federal government should fund embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR), our country is being offered a true Faustian bargain. In return for a hoped-for potential - it is no more than that - of deriving desperately desired medical breakthroughs in the treatment of such afflictions as Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, and diabetes, we are being asked to give the nation's imprimatur to reducing human life into a mere natural resource to be exploited and commodified.
people's lives. The only time when science borders on going too far is when it is used to
Since the beginning of time man has been infatuated with the idea of pushing the human body to its limits. The Guinness Book of World Records, the Olympics, the Space program, and more are all dedicated to celebrating Humans that push these boundaries. In the age of technology and scientific advancement ideas that once seemed like science fiction are now a reality. In order to push these constraints to human evolution, ethics and morals have been pushed aside. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, plays God by bringing his creature to life. When Frankenstein realizes the full extent to what he’s done, he abandons the monster. The monster then seeking revenge, killing all who Victor cares for. In Ishiguro’s Never Let
Mae-Wan, Ho. Genetic engineering : dream or nightmare? : turning the tide on the brave new world of bad science and big business. New York : Continuum, 2000.
Rudolph, Frederick B., et al. (1996). Biotechnology: Science, Engineering, and Ethical Challenges for the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry P.
Stem cell research has been a heated and highly controversial debate for over a decade, which explains why there have been so many articles on the issue. Like all debates, the issue is based on two different arguments: the scientific evolution and the political war against that evolution. The debate proves itself to be so controversial that is both supported and opposed by many different people, organizations, and religions. There are many “emotional images [that] have been wielded” in an attempt to persuade one side to convert to the other (Hirsen). The stem cell research debate, accompanied by different rhetoric used to argue dissimilar points, comes to life in two articles and a speech: “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress” by Virginia Postrel; “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? No, It’s a Moral Monstrosity” by Eric Cohen and William Kristol; and “Remarks by Ron Reagan, Jr., to the 2004 Democratic National Convention” by Ron Reagan, Jr. Ethos, pathos, and logos are the main categories differentiating the two arguments.
Since the beginning of organized government there has always been a clash between science and politics. Whether it is as complicated as a new drug's detainment of federal approval or whether it is as commonplace as the social acceptance of a new medical procedure, politics has performed an integral part in the formation of science; this integrated unit is what greatly affects most of the society at large. Thus, it is no surprise the scientific discussion of genetic engineering is peppered with political rhetoric.
As society continues to evolve, and progress so do the needs of the population. New advancements in biotechnology, particularly the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) have become a controversial topic in the early 21st century. What makes it controversial is that the process involves an organism whose genetic material has been modified due to genetic engineering techniques. Technology is used to alter the makeup of organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. GMO's are the source of many modified foods and are used widely in scientific research to produce other goods as well. (Wald, 2013) The controversy lies within the ethics, legal and social prospects.
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.
All of these impacts must be taken into consideration to avoid disasters. Genetic modification process may end up harming animals, plants and any other living organism. After all of these researches found about how much genetic modification is dangerous for all human beings and how does it affect their health , a serious step should be taken. As defined by David (2014) ”researches show toxicity in animals that predict serious medical consequences in humans for long term exposure .” A serious governmental step should be taken to avoid human’s health problems and to avoid negative environmental impacts.
Scientists are messing with nature in the process of human genetic engineering. There is a
Science and technology are rapidly advancing everyday; in some ways for the better, and in some, for worse. One extremely controversial advance is genetic engineering. As this technology has high potential to do great things, I believe the power genetic engineering is growing out of control. Although society wants to see this concept used to fight disease and illness, enhance people 's lives, and make agriculture more sustainable, there needs to be a point where a line is drawn.
Coker, Jeffrey Scott. "Genetic Engineering Is Natural and Should Be Pursued." Genetic Engineering, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
Never Let Me Go. Not a modern promethean Since the beginning of time man has been infatuated with the idea of pushing the human body to its limits by the use of science. The Space program is the best example of science helping humans accomplish things never before thought possible. In the age of technology and scientific advancement, ideas that once seemed like science fiction, for example, people walking on the moon, are now a reality. In order to push human development, ethics and morals have been pushed to the side.
around the world will eventually suffer the consequences of this new and porly examined science. What should concern every