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The people of today live in an age of opportunity. Vast amounts of knowledge, far greater then in any previous century, are easily available with a simple click of a button in the search bar of an Internet browser. Cars, airplanes and even city-sized cruise ships now operate faster and more efficiently. Jobs created by technology almost always disappear every couple of years due to some new invention, or a more advanced method of doing things. Despite all of the positive influences that technological advances have made on our society, one issue is attracting more and more attention: should we play God? Should we allow scientists to take what has been made in nature and artificially transform it to fit our needs? Is there a line that must be drawn? If so, then where would that line be put? These questions, although presented in a much different setting then today’s world, are beginning to have more and more meaning as these once theoretical ideas are actually becoming scientific processes.
Barbara Kingsolver explains and demonstrates her love and respect for nature in an excerpt of her writing found in “American Earth.” The most important thought that I feel that she expressed was the fact that too many children have grown up surrounded by streetlights for trees and pavement for grass. She explains that she lives a “cabin build of chestnut logs in the late 1930’s,” (American Earth pg. 939) and then goes on to describe how the drizzle of rain enhanced the overall beauty that was to be found in the environment surrounding her house. Imagery used in this depiction include: “listening to the woodblock concerto of dripping leaves… and the wood thrushes… with their minor-keyed harmonies as resonant as poetry.” (American Earth pg. 940) Na...
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... years. In my opinion, people should continue to cry out for more organic and local foods as opposed to paying for a scientist to engineer an artificial substitute in a lab. Another main problem is what would happen after the artificially made food hit the shelves because if we begin such a gene splitting process with animals, then logically we will eventually use the same method on other, more complex forms of nature such as humans. As I said before, the question that is being debated is whether or not we should. Morally and ethically, playing God in such a way may simply be taking what technology can do a bit too far. Nature is something that is pure, something that has existed for millions and millions of years. No science can completely replicate the impact that it has on the human race, and so attempting to copy it is an idea that seems destined for the trash.
For this paper I decided to focus on Barbara Kingsolver's first two novels, The Bean Trees and Animal Dreams. The first topic that ...
In modern times we are brought face-to-face with the tangible issue of engineered-creation and the hopes and fears it inspires. It is a common hope that science should be able to mimic the abilities and power of the God that created us. However, with respect to Mary Shelley's famous novel, "Frankenstein," one will find that the desire to play god is met with dire consequences.
Technology is supposed to be seen as such an advancement and great accomplishment. What others may not always know is sometimes it isn’t all fun and games, it could be dangerous. As seen when we created the atomic bomb and guns, their only purpose is to destroy and cause pain to others. Although they are not always in use they are a constant threat to our well being. We need to take into consideration the positives and the negatives of the technology we create now in present day. Many people change their position on this overarching question: What responsibility do people have when developing new technology? In the texts “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, “the Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, and “De-Extinction” answers the questions that it may impose. Each of these texts share one same belief: Society holds
“The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" --- From a Song by REM
Advancement of the human race through technology is the goal of evolution and is the reason human beings are on earth. The ability to allow future generations to reach their full potential through technology should be the goal of all human beings. The two main criticisms to this argument are, first it is considered unnatural, and secondly it is considered to be “playing god”. Transhumanists dismiss the claim of unnatural because most of what human beings do with any technology is unnatural, yet these uses are accepted as benefits, not harms (Post, 2004). As for the second concern most transhumanists consider themselves agnostics or atheists so playing god is not a legitimate concern for them. The issue is one of great concern to people...
Genetic engineering has been around for many years and is widely used all over the planet. Many people don’t realize that genetic engineering is part of their daily lives and diet. Today, almost 70 percent of processed foods from a grocery store were genetically engineered. Genetic engineering can be in plants, foods, animals, and even humans. Although debates about genetic engineering still exist, many people have accepted due to the health benefits of gene therapy. The lack of knowledge has always tricked people because they only focused on the negative perspective of genetic engineering and not the positive perspective. In this paper, I will be talking about how Genetic engineering is connected to Brave New World, how the history of genetic engineering impacts the world, how genetic engineering works, how people opinions are influenced, how the side effects can be devastating, how the genetic engineering can be beneficial for the society and also how the ethical issues affect people’s perspective.
When thinking about nature, Hans Christian Andersen wrote, “Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” John Muir and William Wordsworth both expressed through their writings that nature brought them great joy and satisfaction, as it did Andersen. Each author’s text conveyed very similar messages and represented similar experiences but, the writing style and wording used were significantly different. Wordsworth and Muir express their positive and emotional relationships with nature using diction and imagery.
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
Genes are, basically, the blueprints of our body which are passed down from generation to generation. Through the exploration of these inherited materials, scientists have ventured into the recent, and rather controversial, field of genetic engineering. It is described as the "artificial modification of the genetic code of a living organism", and involves the "manipulation and alteration of inborn characteristics" by humans (Lanza). Like many other issues, genetic engineering has sparked a heated debate. Some people believe that it has the potential to become the new "miracle tool" of medicine. To others, this new technology borders on the realm of immorality, and is an omen of the danger to come, and are firmly convinced that this human intervention into nature is unethical, and will bring about the destruction of mankind (Lanza).
Lynas, Mark. "We Must Stop Trying to Engineer Nature." Genetic Engineering, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
William Wordsworth is easily understood as a main author whom expresses the element of nature within his work. Wordsworth’s writings unravel the combination of the creation of beauty and sublime within the minds of man, as well as the receiver through naturalism. Wordsworth is known to be self-conscious of his immediate surroundings in the natural world, and to create his experience with it through imagination. It is common to point out Wordsworth speaking with, to, and for nature. Wordsworth had a strong sense of passion of finding ourselves as the individuals that we truly are through nature. Three poems which best agree with Wordsworth’s fascination with nature are: I Wandered as a Lonely Cloud, My Heart leaps up, and Composed upon Westminster Bridge. In I Wandered as a Lonely Cloud, Wordsworth claims that he would rather die than be without nature, because life isn’t life without it, and would be without the true happiness and pleasure nature brings to man. “So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me
Nature is beautiful in every aspect, but as nature changes with every season, beauty and innocence in human life is much the same as the years progress. Robert Lee Frost uses nature in such a profound approach; every aspect of nature can someway correlate with any characteristic of life. Whether it is the beauty in nature signifying the joy and happiness that every person experiences, or it be the traumatic losses and disappointments that may lead to ultimate failure or destruction, Robert Frost illustrates life, love and loss in the most natural and beautiful way feasible. His style is uniquely his own, and his themes are ones that many people can relate to on countless levels, which is what made Frost so popular during his lifetime, and has continued four decades after his death.
Human genetic engineering can provide humanity with the capability to construct “designer babies” as well as cure multiple hereditary diseases. This can be accomplished by changing a human’s genotype to produce a desired phenotype. The outcome could cure both birth defects and hereditary diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Human genetic engineering can also allow mankind to permanently remove a mutated gene through embryo screening as well as allow parents to choose the desired traits for their children. Negative outcomes of this technology may include the transmission of harmful diseases and the production of genetic mutations. The benefits of human genetic engineering outweigh the risks by providing mankind with cures to multiple deadly diseases.
In American Literature many authors write about nature and how nature affects man's lives. In life, nature is an important part of people. Many people live, work, or partake in revelry in nature. Nature has received attention from authors spanning several centuries. Their attitudes vary over time and also reflect the different outlooks of the authors who chose to discuss this important historical movement. A further examination of this movement, reveals prevalence of nature's influence on man and how it affects their lives.