ORYX AND CRAKE Final Exam Paper Chapter 12 BlyssPluss page 296 Where do you get the subjects?

He said. For the clinical trials? Crake grins. From the poorer countries. Pay them a few dollars, they dont even know what theyre taking. Sex clinics, of course theyre happy to help. Whorehouses. Prisons. And from the ranks of the desperate, as usual (Atwood 2004, p. 296).

by Michele Hull RN

Bioethics Professor Lisa Cassidy 6/23/2010

Snowman continues to limp along the rampart, with the ache in his foot getting progressively worse. The thoughts in his head batter him with unceasing questions. Crake was his best friend. He knew him better than any one else. Deep down, he knew that he was the last person to be altruistic, or to care that humanity was running out of space and resources. Why didnt he suspect that something more was going on than what Crake was telling him? Did he know somewhere deep down, that he was withholding the truth from him? Did he ignore that inner voice, because he wanted to benefit from his plans? Could he have changed the course of things if he had presented a decent argument? BlyssPluss, how he hated that name now, and yet at the beginning, he loved it, for he found it seductive. Imagine the allure of a single pill that can: (Atwood 2004, p. 294) 1. Protect the user from all known sexually transmitted diseases. 2. Provide unlimited supply of libido and prowess, with accompanying energy and well being, thus reducing frustration and blocked testosterone that leads to jealousy and violence. 3. Would prolong youth. He allows his thoughts to wander, re-envisioning their discussion. Where do you get the subjects? he said. For the clinical trials? (Atwood 2004, p. 296) Crake grins. From the poorer countries. Pay them a few dollars, they dont even know what theyre taking. Sex clinics, of course theyre happy to help. Whorehouses. Prisons. And from the ranks of the desperate, as usual (Atwood 2004, p. 296). Man and generally any rational being exists as an end in himself, not merely as a

means to be arbitrarily used by this or that will, but in all his actions, whether they concern himself or other rational beings, must be always regarded at the same time as an end, (Kant 1785) said Jimmy. Oh come on Jimmy, were not playing a game of Blood and Roses, to see who can remember the most arcane, useless bit of knowledge. Im not playing a game, and Kantian ethics is not useless. It establishes a foundation of how people should be treated. It provides us with a set of moral standards in which to guide our actions towards ourselves and others, said Jimmy. You are taking advantage of people that dont know any better. You are using them, to further your own ends, without regard to their person. Come now, Jimmy. You are being nave. You know better than anyone the role of science, for you are the son of two scientists. Science has always used people and animals for experimentation. How else would we have learned so much? If not for experimentation, we would have no knowledge or understanding of DNA, viruses, vaccines, and genetic modification. Your own father mapped proteonomes as a post-grad. Think of how much we have learned over the last century. Were not talking about rakunks, wolvogs, or snats here, said Jimmy. Youre suggesting that we genetically modify human beings, and without their knowledge or consent. As for my mother, she had deep moral reservations in regards to genetic modification, and they killed her as a traitor. Im suggesting that with these pills, we can be rid of the destructive nature of man, said Crake. Care is a species activity that includes everything that we do to maintain, continue, and repair our world so that we can live in it as well as possible. That world

includes our bodies, our selves, and our environment (Tronto 1998). That is what I am trying to do here. I am trying to improve humanity, thereby improving the environment in which we live. As a scientist, I have a duty to advance technology. What about the risks to individuals? You said yourself that the pill has not been perfected, that there have been unfortunate side effects. You are withholding that information from your test subjects. How is that ethical? Be honest, this is not about you caring what happens with humanity. If it were, you would inform them of the potential risks involved. Its about you playing God, and making a lot of money while doing it, said Jimmy. The steady ache in his foot brings Snowman crashing back to reality. With it comes the realization that he didnt suspect Crake of withholding the truth because he trusted him. He needed to believe in at least one person in his life, because everyone else had always let him down. Crake had been his only friend from the very beginning. Any misgivings he may have had, he ignored in his desire to rid himself of his loneliness. Snowman also admits to himself his desire and need for recognition. Working for Crake doing the ad campaign brought him a measure of success that he had never managed previously on his own. It also brought Oryx into his life. For that, he will always be grateful, but for how it ended, he will always feel bitter and angry. It doesnt matter how many times he re-envisions their conversation. Nothing would have changed. Crake had it all planned out to the minutest detail. His arguments would have fallen on deaf ears. With the creation of BlyssPluss, Crake became the destroyer of humanity, and with the Paradise Project he became the creator, trying to redeem humanity by starting over. Oryx and Crake became Adam and Eve, and Snowman

became their unwitting accomplice.

References Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. New York: Anchor Books , 2004. Kant, I. 1785. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Ramapo College. http://moodle.ramapoedu/mod/resource/view.phb?inpopup=true&id=40779 (accessed 5/25/2010) Tronto, Joan. 1998. "An Ethics of Care." Generations. 22:3, 15-21