Science and Technology has Overtaken Morality

* If you believe that animal experimentation is always morally wrong, then you might also say that science and technology overtook morality long ago because animal experimentation has existed in human society for a very long time.

* Next, we can look at scientific developments in genetic modification and cloning. In agriculture, genetic modification has been used for many years now. Much of this modification has been carried out with the intention of ending world hunger. New types of rice were created which gave a much higher yield. This was supposed to be sold to third world farmers so they could produce more rice so more people could be fed and there would be less hunger. However, these new types of rice needed certain conditions and lots of fertilizer to grow well. This was something that third world farmers just couldn't afford. The richer farmers got their hands of some of the new seeds. They could afford fertilizers. They were the ones producing higher yields and earning more money. The gap between the rich and poor widened. The existing problems worsened.

Now, crops that can be grown with saltwater/sea water, and square tomatoes that are easily packed are being produced. One wonders where all this can stop. Is it morally right to interfere in nature's way and create something that would have never before come into existence? Some Christians call this Genetic Modification Revolution a 'second genesis'. We are acting as if we are Gods. We know that human beings are not omniscient or omnipotent. We can make error are we often do. As far as GM is concerned, what if we were to make a mistake in the modification of some plant? What then might happen if we accidentally create a type of plant that does not let other plants grow, or one that reproduces beyond human control? Such a Genetic Modification could seriously disrupt nature as we know it and throw everything out of balance. We cannot assume that nothing will ever go wrong and that we have the right to interfere with natures way simply because we can. We are not perfect. In this field, perhaps we have seen the science overtook morality long ago??

* Scientists are now also looking to cloning. Cloning has already moved ahead by leaps and bounds. It took only two years after Dolly the sheep was created for researchers to clone other mammals. Research in human cloning is progressing, too. Soon, this type of genetic engineering could be an option for people who cannot otherwise have children. However, many people are worried about the problems this new technology will bring.

Some people hold the view that human cloning would raise very few issues at all. Some religious people object to the idea of human cloning because of their view that human being are fundamentally different from other animals. Many people believe that human beings have been blessed with souls by a deity, and that human nature is unique and sacred. Scientific advances that pose a perceived risk of altering this nature are angrily opposed.

In response to this, scientists would argue that there was a very real danger that research with enormous potential benefits were being suppressed solely because it conflicts with some people's religious beliefs. After all, similar religious objections were once raised against autopsies, anesthetics, artificial insemination, and the entire genetic revolution of our day, yet all of these have had enormous benefits. Human Cloning could potentially be used to let infertile couples have the children they desire.

However, thought has to be given to the welfare for the welfare of the child. Certainly the first child ever cloned will have great difficulty in growing up normally because of the media and constant attention it will receive.

We may in the future find that clone and non-clone humans discriminate against each other for being different or parentless. Also the clones will make people lose their identity and sense of self, because they will no longer be unique. Clones will never be given the chance of uniqueness. Also, why do we NEED to clone human beings? It might be used to help couples have children but why not use artificial insemination or surrogacy. By using cloning you will be taking away the child's uniqueness and making him different from everyone else. He/she will have neither a mother nor a father. Is this fair?

Lurking in the background of all this we can also detect a hint of eugenics. Surely if people wish to use cloning to have children, they will be able to clone whoever they wish, choosing how their baby will look and behave by choosing who to clone.

* Another recent technological development is that of weapons of mass destruction, and of various other terrible killing devices. Can we say that it is moral to develop such terrible machines? Have we not overtaken morality with science and technology when we used the first bomb to kill non-combatants? Surely now with our neutron bombs etc we cannot call ourselves moral?

* We have also advanced greatly in our usage of computer technology. The World Wide Web has given us a new form of communication, society, and information. However, it has gives issues concerning censorship, privacy, corporate domination, and artificial intelligence. It has changed some of the very nature of human interactions. Is this behavior moral? We are feeding too much information and putting too much dependency into a system that cannot think or feel. Surely this is dangerous?

* I think that it is impossible to hold back these technological advances. It is an unstoppable process and all we can do is try to cope with the problems that will inevitably arise. I think all scientific and technological development will have some impact - negative and positive - on the way we live. As responsible beings, I feel we cannot make a scientist's freedom to research limitless. Boundaries have to be set based on ethical guidelines and kept to. Perhaps a global research center could be set up for all those advances that raised ethical questions etc to solve the problem, and so the experiment is carried out with the right responsibility.