Scientific development

Scientific development and its areas of application have been growing enormously in the last decades. One of the areas which this science affects the most is Genetic Engineering. The two pictures I upload clearly illustrate part of the main aims of this growing science.

The syringe in both pictures stands for manipulation, for artificial intervention in the course of nature. The illustrations also represent the 2 main areas within Genetic Engineering: human Genetic engineering and GM food.

Scientific development has been growing at a tremendous pace in recent years. And I wonder whether this growth has a limit. Very frequently it seems to me that it doesn’t and that scares me a lot. Human nature is inherently ambitious and in the pursuit of further striking discoveries, I believe scientists are ready to defy all existing moral standards.

Although I’m not a fervent catholic, I believe there should be a restriction on the right to manipulate the course of nature. I do accept Gene therapy which consists of repairing or replacing defective genes or introducing some therapeutic genes to help fight a disease. This would imply a better quality of life for people with short-limb dwarfism for example. But what about having babies tailor-made? Recently, I’ve heard of a 38-year-old woman who already has 3 sons (through In Vitro fertilization) and now wants a daughter to round up the family.
I completely oppose using Genetic engineering for such trivial matters such as choosing your babies’ sex or eye colours. This would in turn lead to discrimination as people would naturally select some features over others.

However, in spite of what one thinks is the limit between good and bad or acceptable or unacceptable, there is little we can do to prevent the course of scientific development for the many interests there are behind it. We’ll have to wait and see which is the next thing coming out of the scientists’ Pandora’s Box.