...Brave New World of Genetic Engineering In the novel Brave New World, Huxley uses genetic engineering to simplify the life of the people of London by relieving them of the obligation of bearing children. As times where industrializing Huxley worried that his fictional future would actually take place in the American culture. Genetic engineering in Brave New World requires manipulation and recreations of the DNA sequence, creating new organism by deleting and inserting genes. As inventions enlarged, genetic engineering had many propositions arise, a touch manipulation of life’s true purpose. Determining American citizens to be identified or individualized. Human beings are too abstract to be genetically engineered, there is no possible copy alternate the human soul. The most precious gift given to every human being “Our ancestors were so stupid and short-sighted that when the first reformers came along and offered to deliver them from those horrible emotions, they wouldn't have anything to do with them” (Huxley pp45)....
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...history most advances have been positive. However the rythm of progress seems to have accelerated over the last few decades and the technological breakthrough and scientific developments are causing some people to question this progress. Should we fear progress ? To answer this question I will present three documents. The first document I have choosen is an excerpt from “O brave new world” by Aldous Huxley. O brave new world is a dystopian novel which anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleeplearning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society. The extract is about reproductive technology. The D.H.C (Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning) is talking about the Bokanovsky’s Progress to a group of students. Humans grow in incubators. Before this progress, they only grew one by one in incubator but with a bokanovskyfied egg it’s possible to make 96 humans grow. Later in the excerpt he explains that these 96 persons will be twins and will work on identical machines. There will be millions of identicals twins. In this world the principle of mass production is applied to biology. To sum up, it’s a totalitarian society where we are all standardized clone with a predestined future you can’t escape because you’re conditioned for it. It shows us that if we apply the mass...
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...Jennifer Kurtenbach, Mrs. Holzhauer, world Lit, Period.3, November 16, 2015. $18,000 On Average, the amount parents spend on Genetically modifying their child. With ongoing advances in reproductive technology and genetic engineering, a human’s ability to make themselves what they please is increasingly within reach. For example, in a 1996 Nature editorial it was stated that, “the growing power of molecular genetics confronts us with future prospects of being able to change the nature of our species.”{1} This has raised serious ethical concerns. The power to change human nature says nothing at all about whether we have any right to change it or should change it. How might we use such unprecedented power? Aldous Huxley made disturbing predictions about human’s possible future. Both explored what might happen if technologies like genetic engineering and psychological conditioning were unwisely applied to mankind. Huxley’s View In Huxley’s Brave New World children...
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...Genetic engineering is a very new and undiscovered topic. Bioengineers have been experimenting with cells in petri dishes, trying to clone cells and mutate them. Scientists have even figured out how to change human DNA before it's even born. Doing so allows them to change physical features, abilities, and prevent certain diseases such as alzheimer's. I imagine that genetic engineering is very helpful and could potentially further our society. However, it is illegal to change or mutate DNA in a child in the US. Specifically modifying or editing gene cells or embryos so that a child has certain features are called “designer babies.” Designer babies could be of great help to society. For example, if the next generation is biologically smarter,...
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...PRO Designer Babies Designer babies are the concept that involves the isolation of human embryos from a willing human donor. The individuals involved in the process are allowed to choose the traits and the genes that they desire to be present in the embryo and the eventual baby. The idea is technically called the liberal eugenics. Genetic engineering was incorporated in certain species of plants to modify crop yields and improve resistance to certain crop diseases. The scientists inserted a given gene into plasmid bacteria to ensure that the plant cell assumed the new DNA. The technology has allowed many plant species to thrive in harsh conditions, including cold, hot, and effectively resist pests. There are different edible foods, which have been designed through the technology. The last century has recorded discoveries that have involved immense benefits on human lives. The findings involve the use of genes, which refer to the reason behind the different characteristics and features among different humans. However, the new technology involves knowledge, which facilitates an alteration of the human characteristics. Humans have benefited from the technology of designer babies by elimination of the harmful genes as experienced in 2001 in Los Angeles. Contrarily, religion nd the society continue to question the social and moral well-being of creating a child with the traits that the parents desire. The opponents of the technology argue that genetic technology is uncertain and...
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...Human Genetic Engineering Imagine being able to design your own baby before it is even born, or prevent your unborn child from a dreadful disease, or make your baby a genius or an athlete. Scientists could be opening Pandora’s Box with the potential development of human genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the process by which genes are added or transferred to alter the genetic code of an organism (“What is Genetic Modification”). Since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2006, genetic engineering has developed rapidly and it seems as though a new discovery or breakthrough is announced every day. Many of the discoveries as well as future prospects have presented numerous challenges and concerns, and continue to be an ethical debate. Human genetic engineering will lead to unfavorable consequences that defy nature, lead to less diversity, and threaten our safety. Scientists are messing with nature in the process of human genetic engineering. There is a delicate balance in nature that should not be tampered with because of the unforeseen effects it could cause. With advancements in genetic engineering and new technologies, scientists are racing to uncover some profound new discovery by experimenting with our genes in a Petri dish. Manipulations to our genes are unnatural and unpredictable. It was just announced this year that the first human ear was grown from animal cells on the back of a rat (Briggs). While this major breakthrough has enormous potential for...
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...The Oxford Dictionary defines the term designer baby as ‘a baby whose genetic make-up has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or to ensure a particular gene is present’. The genetic engineering of an embryo is alright in some particular cases, but when a couple wants to add certain genes to ensure they have, in their words, the perfect child, where should we draw the line? Many people think that it is the right thing to do to give your child the opportunity to not have a crippling disease or some other defect, but some think that there are ethical issues while engineering the gene line in a way that would affect the next generation without their consent (Fecht). Parents should not be allowed to change the genes of their...
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...E Poole Beecham English 101 10059 19 April 2010 Genetic Testing Imagine choosing your daughter to have high intelligence. No one would fault the parents for giving their daughter this advantage for life. Parents can make the decision to use any safe drug or therapy to enhance their future children to make them smarter, better, stronger, to increase their intelligence, height, or other traits (Zane). Testing for medical tendencies to screen and reduce the possibility of future illness or diseases is now feasible. Genetic testing can enhance and improve lives with immeasurable benefits. The rewards of this testing outweigh any reservations. Genetic testing are examinations of blood and other tissues of the body that doctors in the medical field prepare to test for possible defects of the body. These DNA based tests generally involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself and are very sophisticated techniques of testing genetic disorders in the bodies of human beings. Prenatal genetic testing with the procedure of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD is a technique whereby testing is performed of an approximate three-day-old embryo to confirm that it does not carry a particular disease or diseases (Naik). The test predicts, with variable confidence, what the possible medical problems will be in the future. Then the doctor implants this embryo, which is free of that syndrome, in the mother's womb. It appears to be relatively easy to check the DNA and eliminate...
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...being secure. Bruce Scheier refers to security as both a feeling and a reality and which they're not the same. Security in which we may see the difference between risk and the perception of risk, Whether problems are seen as problems at all, whether non-problems are believed to be problems, and whether they are seen as social. In fact all of these things must be established by people who have the power to put issues and interpret them in particular ways. Schneier’s discussion of security is a great illustration of this phenomenon, and his talk is full of concrete examples and psychological mechanisms that nicely balance by the sociological import: I thought and illustrated in my mind the example he used about putting wristbands on newborn babies and mothers for identification...
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...Chapter 1: America, Land of Plenty? The Times Are Changing Even before immigrants came to Ellis Island looking for a new life filled with bountiful opportunities, the United States of America had declared itself the “land of the free, home of the brave, land of plenty,” and was residence to some extremely successful entrepreneurs. Since then, individuals and families such as the Johnson family (Johnson & Johnson), Sam Walton, Jimmy Dean (Jimmy Dean Sausages), Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics), Martha Stewart, Leslie Wexner (Limited Brands), and Ralph Lauren have built their consumer product empires from the ground up. These individuals exemplified the American dream: that anyone could become successful and wealthy. People throughout the world believed that once they reached America, this dream could be a reality. One caveat, that was before September 11, 2001. On that day, the unspeakable happened. The United States experienced the worst case of terrorism in its history. It was made even more horrific by being televised on every national and international news channel twenty-four hours a day. The images were ingrained in consumers’ brains. It felt like the beginning of the end. American consumers experienced the end of feeling safe, the end of feeling secure, and definitely the end of prosperity. September 11 changed the landscape of the American consumer. Do we have confidence in the economy? Consumer confidence is critical to the wellbeing of an economy. The more...
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...one knows how effective it will prove to be, even in the few conditions on which it is being tried - whether it will only be of relatively limited application, or whether it will open up many wider possibilities. It suffers both over-optimistic claims from some quarters and exaggerated dangers from others, over which the church needs to be discerning. It is, of course, not possible to assert exactly where the possibilities opened up by today's technology will lead in terms of future developments, but various ethical and moral issues are implicit in the technology which it is important to draw to the Church's attention, so that it is forearmed in an area where developments have been taking place at a bewildering pace. An editorial in the "New Scientist" in April 1994 drew attention to the need to weigh up what may still be future issues today, before the technological "horse" bolts from the stable and it is too late to lock the door. Potential Ethical Issues Perhaps the most basic underlying questions centre on a Christian understanding of the human being. • What does this tell us vis a vis our genetic and physical makeup? • What are therefore proper interventions into that genetic makeup? • What would be improper in terms of our human dignity? More applied questions include : • The distinction between repairing genetic damage and any potential there might ever be to make genetic "improvements"...
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...is simply telling a story.’ Exploring the fashion world occasionally feels like gate-crashing an exclusive club. At least, that’s the sensation I experience as I climb a spiral staircase in a building near Place Vendôme – the grand Parisian square that is home to the Ritz. César Ritz opened his celebrated hotel on 1 June 1898, and its rich patrons attracted the attentions of Cartier, Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, and the other jewellery and luxury goods boutiques that crowd the square. This particular building is the headquarters of a publishing firm, but its location is entirely appropriate. Over the past ten years, Assouline has published a series of glossy books, each minutely dissecting the history of a legendary designer label. With offices in Paris, London and New York, it has become a luxury brand in its own right. I reckon that here, at least, I should get my first insight into what makes a fashion icon. As so often on these occasions, the claustrophobic staircase and labyrinthine corridors of the old building lead to a large office, with a bright picture window overlooking the potted trees and shrubs in the courtyard. Martine Assouline, an elegant French woman, sits me down at a glossy slab-like table and considers her response to my question. ‘At the moment we are in a period where the brand has an exaggerated importance,’ she tells me. ‘Designers like Tom Ford, John Galliano and Marc Jacobs injected new life into fashion. They fused(柱身) it with the music and...
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...ABSTRACT Shards of Memories, Fragments of Sorrows: Mothertongue Transforming Spaces Occupied by Women in South Africa through Theatre This paper sets out to explore how processes of theatre making employed by The Mothertongue project, provide spaces for women to remap their personal narratives. Mothertongue works from the premise that the development and subsequent performance of stories in theatrical processes affords women the opportunity to re-write and remap their personal narratives and in so doing insert their voices into the landscape of South African Theatre. In an attempt to redress the gender imbalances and androcentricism prevalent in post-apartheid theatre, this paper speaks to the relationship between theatre, liminality and communitas. I am interested in unpacking how collaborative processes of theatre-making provide spaces for women to remap their personal narratives. Remapping in this instance refers to processes of transforming lived experience through story. I address how, through engaging in ritual activities that are central to the stories performed, actors, audiences and the owners of the source stories are invited to physically participate in remapping and transforming lived experience. Linked to this is the choice of form(s) and how this affects or impacts on the performed stories as well as on the construction of performed rituals and ultimately on the processes of remapping personal narratives. I focus specifically on Mothertongue’s 2004...
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...(n.) fad (n.), passing fad drag (n.), real drag charity (n.), charitable (adj.) mortal (n., adj.) obsess (v.), be obsessed by/with smth. obsession (n.), obsession with smth terms (plural) in practical/political/economic terms, in terms of time/money/efforts Word Combinations to result from smth to result in smth apart from Expressions with “come” (p.7) Idiomatic expressions (p.8) Physical complains (p.18) Text How are your genes? (p. 19) span (n.), life span determine (v.), genetically/culturally/biologically determined, to determine + whether/why/who/what Text of the sample composition (p.30) benefit (v.), to benefit from, benefit (n.), to reap/receive benefit from, beneficial (adj.) test-tube (n.), test-tube baby controversy (n.), to create/cause/spark/stir controversy, controversial (adj.) affect (v.) hostility (n.), hostile (adj.) interfere (v.), interfere in/with abuse (v.), abuse (n.) ban (v.), ban (n.), ban on smth. One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s Poison Talking points A. How do you rate the following suggestions as ways of ensuring physical fitness? Rank them starting with those you consider to be most effective. Be prepared to justify your choice by explaining how the suggestions may or may not help you. * grow your own vegetables * avoid “junk” food * sell your TV * stop smoking * buy an exercise bike...
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...Chapter 5: Gender Stratification by sex is a feature found in most societies, with men generally being in a more dominant position in society than women. Men have traditionally been seen in a wide range of active and creative roles – as warriors, hunters, and workers, as political leaders or successful business executives, as scientists, engineers, inventors, and great artists. Women have traditionally been seen as housewives and mothers confined to the home and caring for their husbands and children. Even when working outside the home, women's jobs often seem to be an extension of their caring role in the home, looking after others as receptionists, secretaries, nurses, teachers, and social workers. Are these differences simply an extension of the biological make-up of males and females, or are they a product of the ways that males and females are brought up in society? (Nature vs. Nurture) SEX AND GENDER • Sex: (whether someone is male or female) refers to the natural or biological differences between men and women, such as difference in genitals, internal reproductive organs, and body hair. • Gender: (whether someone is masculine or feminine) refers to the cultural, socially constructed differences between the two sexes. It refers to the way a society encourages and teaches the two sexes to behave in different ways through socialization. • Gender role: is the pattern of behavior and activity which society expects from individuals of either...
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