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Spencei Sayei

Buman Biology 1u9u


Piofessoi Timmins
Taking Siues Assignment
1u1S14


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The 'Taking Siues' aiticle iefeiences two opposing points of view. The fiist
viewpoint is fiom Nichael }. Sanuel, a political philosophei. Be believes the use of
genetic enhancement is wiong. Be feels we shoulu stop looking into it befoie we
make things woise foi ouiselves. The seconu opinion is fiom Bi. Bowaiu
Tiachtman, a peuiatiic physician fiom New Yoik City. Tiachtman believes the use of
genetic enhancement is a scientific bieakthiough that we shoulun't iestiict.
In the fiist aiticle Sanuel talks about how genetic enhancement is not an
actual solution to oui pioblem. Be believes that if we mutate ouiselves to beat
uisease, uisease will catch up, anu we will be back at squaie one. Sanuel also woiiies
that if we finu ways to make people smaitei, stiongei, anu fastei, it will cieate an
unfathomable class uiffeience. The iich will have the ability to enhance themselves
beyonu imagination. Wheieas the pooi will not be able take auvantage of saiu
enhancements. Accoiuing to Sanuel, that coulu eventually shattei oui society.
The counteipoint to that iuea comes fiom Bi. Bowaiu Tiachtman. The basic
iuea of Tiachtman's philosophy is that, the woilu is constantly ciumbling, so why
not uo what we can to keep up. Be believes genetic enhancement is no uiffeient
fiom any othei meuical solution. You get sick, anu take antibiotics to get bettei.
Someone who has Alzheimei's coulu enhance theii genes to make theii memoiy
come back. It's a solution to a pioblem, simple as that. The ethical issue with
enhancement is that someone who uoesn't neeu it, will take auvantage of it, causing
the class wai Sanuel feais. The ieason Tiachtman uoesn't feel it is unethical, is
because of how much goou it coulu uo. Essentially, he believes people will misuse
eveiything. We have steioius foi meuical puiposes, but athletes misuse them foi
peisonal gain. As Tiachtman sees it, the benefits of enhancement aie completely
woith the abuse that might happen.
So that leaves us with a question, "Is uenetic Enhancement an 0nacceptable
0se of Technology." To answei that scientifically, no, genetic enhancement is
absolutely an acceptable use of technology. The actual uefinition of technology is
'the application of scientific knowleuge foi piactical puiposes'. If scientific
knowleuge can be useu to cuie fatal uisease, anu auvance the human iace, theie is
no ieason it shoulun't be applieu. In the aiticle, Tiachtman states, "we shoulu not
feai piogiess in uiagnostics oi tiy to limit meuical manipulations". That is a peifect
explanation of why it is acceptable. If the auvance in genetic technology can help
bettei the lives of that many people, that shoulu be oui main focus. People will
abuse the powei to manipulate genes, but that is a iisk woith taking.
The human iace can be a coiiupt species. That is something woith
consiueiing. The iuea of Sanuel's class uiffeience is fiightening. Sanuel also points
out that genetic manipulation coulu "tiansfoim love". Allowing paients to cieate
theii peifect chilu, iathei than cieate a unique inuiviuual. That coulu change the
human iace foievei. Bowevei, even with the coiiuption in the woilu, theie is still
goou out theie. With auvances in this technology, we aie at a point wheie that goou
coulu exceeu anything we've evei imagineu. We cannot live in feai of what people
might uo, when so many coulu be saveu.
With the use of genetic enhancement theie is a possibility that the woilu
coulu collapse. Theie is also a possibility that we coulu positively benefit eveiyone
on eaith. When an oppoitunity like that aiises, we cannot let the feai of what coulu
be stop us. People neeu to focus on the goou aspects of life, so we can all bettei one
anothei. If that happens, maybe one uay we can enu coiiuption as well as fatal
illness.















Souices:
Sanuel, N. 2uu4. The case against peifection. !"# %&'()&*+ ,-)&"'.

Tiachtman, B. 2uuS. A man is a man is a man. !"# %/#0*+() 1-20)(' -3 4*-#&"*+5

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