Genetic Modification

As our technology improves more and more, there are questions that we will have to face as a society. These questions will be difficult and will force us to confront our morals and values.

One area in which our technology is improving is the field of genetic modification. This subject is not something that I’ve studied before, so I’m not all that knowledgeable about it. However, I’d like to talk about it from a moral standpoint more than from a scientific standpoint.

Genetic modification is the technology to edit the genetics of a living being to change how that living being develops. For example, in theory with genetic modification, we could make humans healthier by finding the genes that cause disorders and editing them to remove the disorder.

I think that most people are okay with the use of genetic modification technology in this way. On the other hand, when that technology becomes widespread, it will likely be used in many additional ways. If genes can be edited, then perhaps people will purposely edit genes to give others advantages.

Parents might want to use the technology to make their unborn children grow up to be super intelligent or physically strong. If it can be used on already living people, then so many people will use it to become better athletes, better thinkers or even just better looking.

These days people use make-up or even cosmetic surgery to look better. It’s likely that those who undergo cosmetic surgery would be very interested in changing their genetics in order to enhance their appearance.

If people use genetic modification to increase their strength and intelligence, this could cause huge problems in the form of discrimination.

Employers might ask their employees to genetically modify themselves to increase their intelligence. Athletes might do so in order to give themselves more strength, speed, or reflexes. This would create a difference between people who modify their genetics and people who don’t. There may be discrimination towards both sides.

Perhaps the modifiers could be seen as cheaters, or as being fake. For athletes who modify their abilities in order to win at sports, that modification could be seen as similar to performance-enhancing drugs.

However, the non-modifiers could be blamed for not being as good at something as they could be. For example, we might want our doctors and engineers to become more intelligent in order to provide better services to society.

It’s a difficult issue, and one that I think needs to be talked about by society before it becomes a real problem. The technology is fast approaching, so the sooner we discuss it on a mass scale, the better, I’d say.

Thomas

Vocabulary
moral (noun) – a standard of behavior; a principle of right and wrong
standpoint (noun) – a point of view, perspective, or way of looking at things
cure (verb) – to heal an illness, injury, etc.
widespread (adjective) – available and used in many locations