Category: Student Reports

The movie, GATTACA (a name containing only the letters of the four bases in DNA) depicts a future dystopia in which science and technology are used to reduce human potential to statistical probabilities  and oppress those few who might break out of that reductive paradigm to achieve greater ends. With this premise, the movie offers […]

In his book The Lives to Come, Philip Kitcher paints a picture of the near future of genetic testing.  In the coming decades, and perhaps even sooner than that, the scientific community will progress in its mission to map the entirety of the possible genetic material of the human species.  The most foreseeable outcome of […]

One of Janet Kourany’s main ideas in regards to the research and advancement of science, bioethics, and human enhancement is the concept of socially responsible science.  As treatments and enhancements in humans increase and become more commonplace, the importance of the community becomes a larger part of the discussion.  No longer is it only what […]

Last week Janet Kourany argued that scientists are not concerned with the issue of values. She did modify her statement by saying that some scientists are interested in values, but by and large values do not preoccupy scientists. They are too busy for values! Values and ethics are pursuits of the humanities. I found this […]

The conflicting nature of human evolution and eugenics are brought to the forefront in the movie Gattaca.  Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the movie challenges viewers to reconsider bioethics development concerning the value of human life, the implications of prenatal testing and genetic modification, and potential genetic discrimination.  All of these topics are also […]

After listening to Janet Kourany speak, I had many questions about how society will handle the political and monetary influences driving human enhancements (insurance companies, enhancement priority).   It is not longer a question as to whether or not enhancements will happen, but it is the question of when and how.  With the current conversations about […]

What does genetic determinism mean exactly? If it means genes determine physical and behavioral phenotypes, that is certainly true. However, if it means that genes alone determine phenotypes, that is a fallacy. As Philip Kitcher observes, in The Lives to Come, both genes and environments play critical roles in the formation of phenotypes (239). This […]

The most striking point of Dr. Kourany’s lecture last Wednesday (26 January 2011) was, to me, clearly her discussion of “moral enhancement.” First off, it seems that several people interpreted this as meaning that would be some kind of technological advance that would further our understanding of ethics, but it’s fairly clear to me that […]

The discussion panel last Wednesday (19 Jan 2011) was interesting, providing different perspectives on the issue of human enhancement. The majority of the presentations seemed to be focused on the disability side of the issue, with two of the three speakers going into some detail about that subject. Dr. Scotch’s points about decisions having to […]

Maybe it would be simpler to disregard bioethics. One could argue that scientific and technological advances are constrained by ethical considerations and that scientists and engineers should be able to use any and all means to achieve progress as long as it promises improvement of the human condition. There may be some risk for collateral […]