Annotations
While annotating this, I highlighted the last sentence in a different color because I wasn’t sure if it was part of the claim, but looking back on it now I do think it is. I agree with this claim to some extent. The capabilities humans have and will have because of technology frankly scare me. I’m not sure that we have enough “compassionate people”, as Lama puts them, working in these fields or funding these projects, and I’m worried that the things we are able to accomplish because of technology will ultimately ruin or change what it means to be human. I agree with more of what Lama is saying later in the essay, but I do think it is important to raise consciousness on the implications of what this kind of technology could have on humanity.
To me, in this quote, Lama is claiming that no matter what people will continue to advance technologically, and rather than stopping them we should learn how to use this technology in an ethical way. I do agree with this claim. I think that even if we tried to stop technological advancements, people would find ways around it and also we can’t improve and grow as a society if we aren’t advancing. I also agree that it is extremely important to use this “new knowledge and power” ethically. I’m worried that people creating new technology, especially technology that can edit and clone human genes, might not have the best morals. I worry that this type of technology can be used in harmful ways and that it is important that the people creating this technology are compassionate and ethical human beings.
I absolutely agree with this claim sentence, and I think it applies to more than just our genetic makeup. The way humans are judged based on things they cannot control, such as genes, is so detrimental to society and it deprives us of the love and compassion that we should have for others regardless of their genetics. As Lama said, we are so much more than just our genomes, and to deem someone as more or less worthy of care in society based on something so insignificant is awful. I think of all the physically and mentally disabled people who are deemed unworthy in society because they can’t perform the types of jobs that able-bodied people are able to, which seems to be how society determines your worth. I think it is awful that something you had no control over can determine how you are treated by others and by society as a whole.
I agree that more people should be getting involved in the decision-making process of these scientific projects. I do think it is important for the public to become educated that way they are making informed decisions and arguments and aren’t just basing what they say on personal feelings and motives. I don’t think that we as a society should blindly trust the scientists and the people funding these science projects because what may help them get paid more might not be what is actually best for society. Sure, it may be “cool” to edit someone’s genes aesthetically and it might help these scientists and investors make more money, but this would actually do much more harm than good in society.
Summary
In this essay, Lama discusses gene editing and the importance of ethics in this field of biology. He addresses the creation of cloned genes either for medical things, such as limb replacement, or for reproductive purposes, such as two people cloning their genes to create a baby. He also brings up the genetic modification of food, and how this is more ethical than the genetic modification of human genes but it can still not be entirely ethical. The most important thing that Lama discusses in this essay is the ethics behind these scientific creations. He believes that society needs to have some sort of presence in the decision-making process of these kinds of scientific advancements, because if left simply to the scientists and the people funding them, then ethical issues may arise. He also stresses the importance of treating people and viewing people equally, despite any differences in their genes. He says that “All humans have an equal value and an equal potential for goodness”, which reiterates the importance of not treating people differently based on things that they can’t control. He asserts that it is important as humans to continue advancing technologically, but it is also important to remember what it means to be human and to keep our morals in check while making these advancements.
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