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Pros & Cons of human cloning; benefits, drawbacks, ethical & spiritual aspects.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Pros & Cons of human cloning; benefits, drawbacks, ethical & spiritual aspects.
Paper Introduction:
The thesis of the study is that the scientific pursuit of genetic cloning too often ignores the ethical and spiritual aspects of humanity. This study will examine some of the pros and cons of this subject, focusing on human cloning.
Just as animal cloning has been accomplished, it is likely that human cloning is also within the reach of science. However, the question is whether the benefits of cloning outweigh the drawbacks. Are human beings supposed to live longer, one result of cloning? Is the cloned human being, in fact, an authentic human being? Is the relative perfection afforded by cloning desirable, or is it a danger to the essence of human nature? The argument here is that individuality, imperfection, sickness and even death are natural parts of human existence and yet one promise of human cloning is to do away with these factors which
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The Ethics of HumanCloning. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press. The thesis of the study is that the scientific pursuit of geneticcloning too often ignores the ethical and spiritual aspects of humanity.This study will examine some of the pros and cons of this subject, focusingon human cloning. 386-388.----------------------- 6 262-269. J. Theargument here is that individuality, imperfection, sickness and even deathare natural parts of human existence and yet one promise of human cloningis to do away with these factors which make individual human beingsindividual human beings. References The Economist. The cloned being in Thomas is shown to be afacsimile without a heart or a soul. Theanonymous author of an article in The Economist, entitled "GeneticEngineering Should Be Unrestricted," argues that cloning and other geneticmanipulations "offer the possibility of humans beings able to design theirown evolution--both individually and societally." The same author arguesthat while religious spokespersons argue against cloning on the basis ofbeliefs about God and human nature, "They should not be allowed to limitthe freedom of unbelievers" (Economist, 1994, 271). Thomas has no real hope that cloning willsucceed in manufacturing happiness: And obviously, if the whole thing were done precisely right, they would still be casting about for ways to solve that problem of universal dissatisfaction, and sooner or later they'd surely begin to look around at each other, wondering who should be cloned for his special value to society, to get us out of all this. However, the question iswhether the benefits of cloning outweigh the drawbacks. Are human beingssupposed to live longer, one result of cloning? It is almost no comfort to know that one's cloned, identical surrogate lives on, especially when the living will very likely involve edging one's real, now aging self off to the side, sooner or later (Thomas, 1991, 386). Wilson also argues that there should be a ban on any clone entirelymanufactured in a laboratory, that is, without parents to raise him or her(Wilson, 1998, 66). Nelson, J, Robert. Madeline Nash ignores the more subtle ethical and spiritualquestions attached to genetic engineering: At long last, we will reclaim the awe and wonder our predecessors reserved for machines and turn them back toward our biological selves. (1994). James Q. J. (1999). Wilson also notes the argument against cloning on the basis that it"violates God's will by creating an infant in a way that does not depend onhuman sexual congress or make possible the divine inculcation of a soul"(Wilson, 1998, 63). The major problem of her article isthe major problem with science itself--it ignores the spiritual componentof humanity and reduces human beings to biological machines which can beduplicated through cloning. Boston: Allyn andBacon. Light, eds. Robert Nelson takes the contrary argument--that cloning andgenetic engineering "broaden the understanding of humanness" by "makingroom for evolving modifications of human life" (Nelson, 1991, 263). "On Cloning a Human Being." The Modern Age.Leonard Lief and James F. (1991). (1998). To Thomas, the clonedhuman being will not be a true human being, he says, but will be without asoul, without the unique, unpredictable, spontaneous factors which make ahuman being a human being. San Diego: Greenhaven.27 -274. Wilson, who is against cloning, acknowledges that A premature ban on any scientific effort moving in the direction of cloning could well impede useful research on the genetic basis of diseases or on opportunities for improving agriculture (Wilson, 1998, 62). 34 -345. Finally, as Heinberg notes, even such advocates of geneticengineering as Arthur Caplan are against human cloning on the basis that"it is an offense to human dignity to have people bred by design" andbecause it is "nuts to let anyone create a human being just to have a placeto get spare parts" (Heinberg, 1999, 145). Thomas finally argues against the idea of cloning human beingsbecause it would eliminate the "mutations" which make individual humanbeings individual human beings. (1997). William Vesterman and Josh Ozersky, eds. Cloning the Buddha. David Bender & Bruno Leone, eds. Is the relative perfection afforded bycloning desirable, or is it a danger to the essence of human nature? Heinberg, Richard. Of course, Narcissus drowned admiring his own image. In other words, even though the arguments against cloning may not begood ones, the banning of all research which could lead to cloning shouldnot be established, because the obstacles it could put in the way ofimportant scientific research. Wilson. And so it would go, in regular cycles, perhaps forever (Thomas, 1991, 388). Kass, Leon R., and James Q. Nash, J. Wheaton, IL: Quest. Madeline. Like Narcissus, we will behold the image of our minds and lose ourselves in endless admiration" (Nash, 1997, 345). Thomas, Lewis. Just as animal cloning has been accomplished, it is likely that humancloning is also within the reach of science. "Genetic Engineering Should Be Unrestricted."Biomedical Ethics. Cloning should be banned, for itendangers what is most natural, individual, and unique about humans andhuman nature. (1991). Thomas deals with the issue of what makes a human being a humanbeing, what values give him or her a purpose in or connection with life ingeneral and his or her own individual existence. But he does not sayhow. "The Frontier Within." Readings for the21st Century. Thomas argues that the cloned human being will not be a real orauthentic human being, will not even be a true copy of the human being whois being cloned: Cloning is the most dismaying of prospects, mandating as it does the elimination of sex with only a metaphoric elimination of death as compensation. Wilson does note that cloning could lead toexploitation of parent-less children or the harvesting of body parts, buthe concludes that such dangers can be guarded against. Fort Worth: Harcourt BraceJovanovich. Even if Nashintends irony here, the thrust of her article is clearly that science cando for humanity what God has not done. Lewis Thomas' protests against the cloning of human beings also hasmore to say about what is not authentic human reality than what is: The cloning of humans is on most of the lists of things to worry about from Science, along with behavior control, genetic engineering, transplanted heads, computer poetry, and the unrestrained growth of plastic flowers (Thomas, 1991, 386). Wilson points out that this argument is weakened by thefact that in vitro fertilization does the same thing and it is not illegalor even widely criticized. Is the cloned human being,in fact, an authentic human being? "What Is Life?" Christian Social Action.January.
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