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Biocentric Ethics Analysis

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Biocentric Ethics Analysis

SCI/362
December 16, 2013

Biocentric Ethics Analysis
Inherent value is to have value in and of oneself, objects are ends in themselves not merely means to some other end (Desjardins, 2013). It has been said that some people value what they consume and this is why genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are so controversial. Some feel that GMO’s are our only option to the demand of the current population growth, because farmers have said that using the genetically modified seeds have helped the crops grow faster, longer and more fruitful (Robertson, 2003). This is the topic that will be covered in this paper; first, it is important to understand the history of this debate. In 1986, genetically engineered tomatoes were developed and it proved to make the tomatoes more resistance to many herbicides. The Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency was not concerned with the thought of possible side effects at this time. In 1990 when “Forbes article “The Lesser of Two Weevils” was released stating “that cotton farmers in the United States had put 100 million pounds of agricultural chemicals on their crop each year for the last several years” (Newton, Dillingham, Choly, 2006) the media went rampant on this information. This caused the controversy to explode into worldwide news headlines. Some countries were claiming that the over use of chemicals in the United States were reckless and dangerous to them as well, with the claim that we were affecting their crops also. The only explanation that we had for this was that the chemically altered plants and seeds were being transported through the rain, the wind, and the snow. Another theory was that plants, insect, and wildlife were actually transporting them from place to place. This is something that scientist did not take into consideration when they started

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