discussing these issues solidifies (or tears down) what I believe about them. so if it’s ok, I would like to review exactly what I have learned so far in this discussion…
What I have gathered so far…
1. you have conceded the fact that lack of individuality is not a good argument against cloning.
2. you have now put forth the argument that mimicing God’s creative genius, at least in science, makes you uncomfortable.
What is wrong with giving science the go-ahead to mimic God’s creative genius if we are encouraged to be creative in every other aspect of our lives. We push a child to to dream big dreams then put them onto paper in the form of pictures or drawings. We push ourselves as writers or musicians to mimic God’s creative genius and express it to others through prose and song. I wonder where the difference lies when it comes to science.
Here is what I am coming to believe about cloning…
cloning may go beyond our ‘creative expression’ as humans because we are producing life: and we can’t handle the responsibility. I can’t bring myself to see what is inherently wrong about cloning beyond this issue of responsibility. There really aren’t any good reasons to clone human beings. It is kind of like Jurassic Park, where Jeff Goldbloom says something like, “You are standing on the shoulders of giants, but you haven’t stopped to ask yourself if you should creat dinasaurs [just because you can].” (of course i mangled the quote, but you get the idea.) Cloning in our culture can only lead to negative things (which will be lauded as magnificent progress). Such things as organ farming, fetal genetic selection, and genetic discrimination are only a few of the negative possibilities.
All of this comes down to our veiw of personhood. What is a human being? And as a result, what is the appropriate way to treat them? These questions will shape science in the next century. If our world decides that clones are second-rate humans then we could see a great deal of evil go on in the future…evil that is on par with genocide and abortion.
wscott
Nov 08 2002
10:15 am
discussing these issues solidifies (or tears down) what I believe about them. so if it’s ok, I would like to review exactly what I have learned so far in this discussion…
What I have gathered so far…
1. you have conceded the fact that lack of individuality is not a good argument against cloning.
2. you have now put forth the argument that mimicing God’s creative genius, at least in science, makes you uncomfortable.
What is wrong with giving science the go-ahead to mimic God’s creative genius if we are encouraged to be creative in every other aspect of our lives. We push a child to to dream big dreams then put them onto paper in the form of pictures or drawings. We push ourselves as writers or musicians to mimic God’s creative genius and express it to others through prose and song. I wonder where the difference lies when it comes to science.
Here is what I am coming to believe about cloning…
cloning may go beyond our ‘creative expression’ as humans because we are producing life: and we can’t handle the responsibility. I can’t bring myself to see what is inherently wrong about cloning beyond this issue of responsibility. There really aren’t any good reasons to clone human beings. It is kind of like Jurassic Park, where Jeff Goldbloom says something like, “You are standing on the shoulders of giants, but you haven’t stopped to ask yourself if you should creat dinasaurs [just because you can].” (of course i mangled the quote, but you get the idea.) Cloning in our culture can only lead to negative things (which will be lauded as magnificent progress). Such things as organ farming, fetal genetic selection, and genetic discrimination are only a few of the negative possibilities.
All of this comes down to our veiw of personhood. What is a human being? And as a result, what is the appropriate way to treat them? These questions will shape science in the next century. If our world decides that clones are second-rate humans then we could see a great deal of evil go on in the future…evil that is on par with genocide and abortion.