...Lisa O’Neil Ethics and Genetic Engineering Essay Ethics are part of our everyday decisions, in order to be ethical we need to firstly understand the basis of ethics. The word ‘Ethics’ comes from the greek word ‘ethikos’ which relates to the customary way to behave in society. Ethics is a branch of philosophy dates back to before 367 b.c. Famously in the history of ethics and philosophy were ‘’The Three Wise Greek Men’’ Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates was a teacher of philosophy and Plato was Socrates student for approximately ten years, and when Socrates died, Aristophanes became Plato's student. Aristotle views were that ‘’ethics is a virtue of happiness, and that the pursuit of virtue is the highest and noblest aim for a human being’’ . Aristotle can be seen as saying ‘’ Nobody would choose to live without friends even if they had everything else they desired ‘’ (quoted from The Puzzle of Ethics- Peter Vardy pg 31). Socrates took a practical view on ethics, he was concerned with ‘’how an individual would live in order to achieve happiness’’. Socrates can be seem as saying; ‘’Think hard enough and you will always find that doing the right thing is best for you ‘’ ( quoted in Peter singers A companion to Ethics, Blackwell p. 125 ). Plato's view was much more in depth and most famously contradicts Socrates work. Plato believes ethics is ‘’ knowledge is the virtue of happiness ‘’ . Plato can be seen as saying ‘’ If you believe something is right than its right...
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...Is genetic engineering ethically right? Genetic engineering was first discovered in the 1970’s and since then ethical questions been raised regarding the process and results. Some people are excited by the possibilities of genetic engineering while others believe the process is unethical and should be banned as they claim scientists are ‘playing god’. Ethics is the philosophical study of what is morally right or wrong. It is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. Philosophers tend to divide ethical theories into three areas; meta-ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics. This was first done by David Hume the philosopher who argued how we should look at ethical situations. “Meta-ethics looks at the meaning of language used in ethics, and raises questions about truth. Normative ethics tries to find practical moral standards that we can all live our lives by. These are also called ethical theories. Applied ethics is the application of theories about whether something is right or wrong in specific issues.” Distance Learning Centre, Ethics Pack, 2012. In the 1960’s a professor, Joseph Fletcher founded the theory Situation Ethics. In Situation Ethics right and wrong depend on the situation. There are no universal moral rules or rights, each case is unique and deserves a unique solution. “Situation Ethics is all about agape or love. You should always do the most loving thing” Distance Learning Centre, Ethics Pack, 2012. There...
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...The What If Factor In “Ethics and the New Genetics” , the Dalai Lama is concerned about society being able to follow and uphold a moral compass while our technological capabilities advance, which is extremely easy and practical for a religious leader to say. What if the Dalai Lama is extremely wrong and biased in his outlook on what the world will look like after such major medical advances? The Dalai Lama says there may be many consequences of science on culture and society. In all reality, consequences will never be known unless; these medical and technological advances are introduced and tried out. Consequences and effects play a very major role in science; it is all trial and error. The Dalai Lama may try to give the good and bad sides of these advances; however, they are vague and cannot be taken as the “doctrine” or “moral compass” for society. The Dalai Lama comes from Tibet, a place where people are not as nearly as modern or technologically advanced as Americans or other world powers. Tibetans have totally different priorities, morals and outlooks on life. So, how could the Dalai Lama expect for modernized people to follow his guidance when he comes from a background that lives for the future and not the present? In reality, the world is having so many medical and social issues now, from the swine flu outbreak to the present state of our economy. Do we forget about these present issues and just focus on a future world that may not even be here in the near future...
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...Human Genetic Engineering Society presents a large issue within the scientific world in terms of genetic engineering, weighing the pros and cons from both scientific and moral perspectives. Genetic engineering for humans, more commonly referred to as “designer babies”, strikes a debate between those who believe that genetic engineering is unethical versus those who believe that designer babies are moving the human race towards a better future. The moral platform that society has raised us as well as scientific research in puts an obvious answer in our hands- that genetic engineering is more dangerous and detrimental for humans rather than beneficial. To argue my thesis, I will thoroughly present both the scientific evidence and psychological perspectives that express the overall morality and ethics of this issue. Rahul Thadini’s article “The Public Should Avoid Designer Baby Technology” will assist my arguments within my report, as Thadani expresses useful scientific and moral points that focuses on the harm that genetic engineering would add to humans’ posterity. Using Thadani’s points, I question what people claim to be the benefits of genetic engineering. If we are able to use genetic engineering to cure diseases as well as disable the genes that trigger them, then how would our genetic diversity be kept as such a diverse group, considering the fact that our genetic diversity is what keeps humans at less risk for such health issues? In a more ethical and moral light, how...
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...Genetic Engineering Facts By definition, Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism’s genetic make up through artificial means often involving the transfer of specific traits known as genes, from one organism to another. In simpler terms, it is the manipulation of DNA to alter an organism’s characteristics in a particular way. The following are some important facts one needs to know on this topic. Genetic engineering can mean deleting DNA to get rid of undesired traits or introducing new genes to get desired traits, but it can also mean combining DNA from separate people. We can begin by talking about the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international research effort to determine the DNA sequence of the entire human genome. HGP researchers untangled the human genome using three tools: producing what are called linkage maps, through which inherited traits (such as those for genetic disease) can be tracked over generations; making maps that show the locations of genes for major sections of all our chromosomes; and determining the order, or "sequence," of all the bases in our genome's DNA. The research revealed that there are probably somewhere around 30,000 human genes and has given the world detailed information about the structure, organization and function of the human genes and other functional components found in DNA. This information can be seen as the basic set of inheritable "instructions" for the development and function of a...
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...Genetic Engineering Wesley Rupe, Jawad Rana, Layli Stroia, Charles Taiwo, Mariella Velasquez, Mark Young DeVry University Genetic Engineering Table of contents Title page ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 Table of contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 1. A brief description of the technology and an explanation of the associated science (Mariella Velasquez) ………………………………………………..……………. 3 2. Psychological considerations and sociological effects (Mariella Velasquez) …………. 3 3. The historical development and context of the technology (Wesley Rupe) …………. 13 4. Political and legal influences (Mark Young) (Not Complete) 5. Economic questions and considerations (Jawad Rana)………………………………….…… 21 6. The technology in its cultural context, media influence (Charles Taiwo) (Not Complete) 7. Implications for the environment (Charles Taiwo) (Not Complete) 8. Moral and ethical implications (Layli Stroia) ……………………………………………………..… 30 Outline A brief description of the technology and an explanation of the associated science Definition: What is Genetic Engineering? Genetic engineering (GE) is the process of manipulation of an organism genome to create a new DNA. The new DNA might be implanted in a totally different DNA species. It is widely used to create hybrids (some species are not able to naturally breed), correct genetic flows in any type of being. It is applied in...
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...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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...2013 Genetic Engineering Tentative Thesis: Even though altering DNA can lead to such horrifying events as genocide or viral diseases, genetic engineering is an important scientific breakthrough because by altering DNA, we can cure many diseases and solve many of mankind's problems. 1. History of Genetic Engineering A. What Led to the need for genetic engineering a. Prehistoric Times-1900 B. Gregor Mandel b. European botanist genetically altering plants 2. Modern Genetic Engineering C. DNA c. Watson & Krick 1. discover DNA a. How it affected science d. Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen 2. recombinant DNA D. Government e. Supreme Court 3. Diamond v. Chakrabarty f. FDA 4. Approval of genetic engineered food 5. Field Testing b. Tobacco c. Tomatoes g. International Bio-safety Protocol E. Advancements & Achievements h. Technology i. Disease curing j. World Hunger 3. Ethical Issues F. Religious k. Are we playing God? G. Environmental l. What’re the long term environmental effects H. Bio Ethics m. What if we make something we can’t control n. Is it possible the technology may be used to create slaves? o. When does harmless engineering become...
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...Running head: GENETIC ENGINEERING Building a Utopian Society Society, Ethics and Technology HUMN432 ACC_U January 20, 2012 How does Genetic Engineering affect society? This is a hard question, and I’m not sure that there is any one correct answer. The selection of individual traits and the enhancements in embryos has raised several moral issues that involve both individuals and society as a whole. The first thing to consider is that when selecting a particular trait does it actually pose any health issues that may not have been that may not have been of concern before? There isn’t any concrete data that could be utilized as an acceptable form of preclinical stats for human studies. Human data may present significant practical and ethical problems. Since the safety of these procedures is fairly new and is currently under investigation, there are no long-term clinical and accurate numbers of research subjects. Even with all these unanswered questions, there are still questions regarding the safety concern involving the results that the majority of genes may have multiple effects. For example, “In the late 1990s, scientists discovered a gene that is linked to memory.” (Tang et al., 1999). “Modifying this gene in mice greatly improved learning and memory, but it also caused increased sensitivity to pain.”(Wei et al., 2001) By altering genes we can’t assume that it will only affect one function, when in actuality it may turn out to disrupt other functions. Individual’s...
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...Ethics, What is it? Merriam-Websters dictionary defines it as “The discipline dealing with what is good and bad with moral duty and obligations.” Yet, if we look at many of the things we take for granted today, they remain available to us because of certain unethical and immoral activities that occur. Lets look at two very controversial issues that have come up today; water boarding and genetic engineering. Is water boarding a form of torture or not? Both sides bring a valid argument to the table. Is genetic engineering socially acceptable or not? Is it a form of acceptance in this new age society? I think that water boarding is ethical and is a successful way of getting a subject to come forth with information withheld, whereas genetic engineering is something which is unethical and immoral. Water boarding is a method used to extract information and is sometimes also referred to as a “torture method”. This approach has been under scrutiny since its introduction in the late 14th century. The method, originally called “water torture” or “water cure”. At that time period it was a way of water induced confession. Today, the methods have changed slightly but the objective is still the same. In today's military, our special forces use this tactic in their SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape) training to prepare for any unorthodox treatment they would receive from enemy forces not complying with the Geneva Convention. The CIA also has used this and is currently using this as...
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...Biotechnology Research Genetic Engineering • Description and How It Works Genetic Engineering is the process of manually adding new DNA to an organism. The goal is to add one or more new traits that are not already found in the organism, and to enhance or modify the organism’s characteristics. The process starts by identifying a gene that controls the desired trait and using various chemicals to extract it from the DNA strands. An insertion package is prepared that includes several unrelated genes that lets the trait gene survive in an alien organism. Then, the package is forced into the host organism’s cells which is attempted using several various vectors. The most common for plants is bacteria; the insertion package is hooked onto the bacteria’s...
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...Environmental ethics refers to the relationship that humans share with the natural world (Buzzle, 2011), it involves people extending ethics to the natural environment through the exercise of self-discipline (Nash, 1989). Herein the essay will give examples of anthropocentrism and non-anthropocentrism as forms of environmental ethics, criticizing anthropocentrism in contrast with a defence of non- anthropocentrism precedents. Anthropocentrism also referred to as human-centeredness, is an individualistic approach, a concept stating that humans are more valuable, and the environment is only useful for sustaining the lives of human beings (MacKinnon, 2007). The practise of human-centeredness is associated with egocentrism (Goodpaster, 1979), by contrast non-anthropocentrism is a holistic approach...
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... It raises a moral question about whether the approach used for genetic engineering is ethically acceptable. In this society, an individual’s place in the society is determined by their genetic makeup and circumstances under which they get born. Invalids are people born through natural process while valids are individuals whose existence came about through the process of genetic engineering. Despite the advancements in the society, it is prudent to respect the natural laws of the existence of living things, including human beings, a concept that seems overrun by time in this movie....
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...with green eyes. This is the future of germ-line gene therapy. Do we really want to live in a world where this is allowed? The thought of people changing their genes just to fit in and be desirable is unimaginable. While somatic cell gene therapy brings many advantages in the treatment of diseases and the quality of life, using germ-line gene therapy with the opportunities to genetically improve, alter, or fabricate human beings is unethical and should not be researched. Gene therapy is an exciting and new experimental medical procedure that replaces or deletes specific genes in our bodies to either treat or prevent disease. By introducing new genetic material into human cells (ie. cancer cells), gene therapy treatment then creates the necessary proteins that allow the affected cell to become healthy ("Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering"). Gene therapy can also be used as an alternative to other medical disorders rather than having a surgical procedure or...
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...“Embryo Research is ethically justifiable.” - Discuss Genetic engineering is an umbrella term for all gene modification and research that is taking place in modern science. Embryonic research has results in multiple successes including stem cell research but has come under serious controversy for using potential life for gain with no regard for that life. T - Kantian Ethics is purely deontological looking at doing duty for duties sake not the outcome of an action therefore for Kantian ethics to agree with the statement Embryonic research must pass the categorical imperative. I - An example of embryonic research includes eugenic genetic engineering in which germ-line therapy to create a better ‘race’ of people by changing the genetic makeup of future generations. C - Although eugenic genetics is illegal in most countries, examples have been seen throughout history such as Hitler’s arian race in which he tried to exterminate other unworthy races like jews. K - Eugenic engineering would have to passed the principle of universalisability; in which the moral choice would have to be universal across everyone worldwide without conflict interests. Eugenic engineering would not be successful, by choosing to create a certain race it would create huge conflict from those who do not fit the model. Minorities would be ignored and potentially discriminated upon. E - When applied to the issue, the principle of universalisability becomes an unrealistic choice to make an ethical decision...
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