The world is standing on the verge of one of the most consequential technological thresholds in history, a scientific discovery that has the power to alter the very fabric of generations of lives to come, challenging what it means to be human. Imagine a world in which one can look through a catalog of possible traits while shopping for a new child, picking hair color, intelligence level, and athletic ability. However crazy this may seem, “designer baby” is no longer a science-fiction term, but an expression that has even found its way into the dictionary. Designer baby is defined as “a baby whose genetic makeup has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or ensure that a particular gene is present” (Catalano, The People, Ideas,
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Yet, the final argument is even more compelling; by genetically enhancing their children’s genes in order to control their genetic endowments, society is to be held responsible for the destruction of the appreciation of the giftedness of human life. To begin, by genetically engineering children, the excessive pride and arrogance of society is exposed. Many would argue that the origination of designer children, began in humanity’s strong desire control the uncontrollable. For humans, all throughout time, have chosen to believe that they are superior, therefore possessing the right to manipulate everything they desire. This arrogance and self-importance is shown within the hubris of designing parents. The problem is found in their drive to master the mystery of birth in order to fulfill their own desires. Parents would rather have a child that meets their wants, whether it be a healthy baby or a intelligent one, instead of accepting what unknown. “The deeper danger found within hubris, is that genetically enhancing children will represent a kind of hyper-agency--an aspiration to remake human nature in order to serve human purposes” (Sandel, FORA.tv). As this quote shows, the risk of altering the beauty of nature, is that humanity will be too arrogant, driven by their desire to master nature, and fail to recognize that not everything in the world is open to whatever …show more content…
Dr. Ted Peters states that “when we see ourselves as the creators of life then we lose reverence for life” (cite source here). Thus, by playing God, humans no longer appreciate the preciousness of conceived life, prizing instead the ability to master the mystery of birth. With the loss of appreciation, the results would negatively disfigure the world’s moral landscape; tempting people into the erroneous idea that life is man made, and self created. Although it may be the ultimate expression of humans to see themselves as masters of their own nature, this promise of mastery is flawed, bring us back to the idea of hubris. “We have learned from experience that what the Bible says is true: ‘pride goes before destruction’ (Proverbs 16:18). And in our modern era, pride among the natural scientists has taken the form of overestimating our knowledge, of arrogating for science a kind of omniscience that we do not in fact have… thus ‘playing God’ means we confuse the knowledge we do have with the wisdom to decide how to use it. Frequently lacking this wisdom, we falsely assume we possess beneficial scientific knowledge, which then leads to unforeseen consequences” (cite source here). Therefore, what the quote bring to light, is the fact that in order to appreciate children as gifts, one must eliminate hubristic desires which get in the way of accepting
Yet, the final argument is even more compelling; by genetically enhancing their children’s genes in order to control their genetic endowments, society is to be held responsible for the destruction of the appreciation of the giftedness of human life. To begin, by genetically engineering children, the excessive pride and arrogance of society is exposed. Many would argue that the origination of designer children, began in humanity’s strong desire control the uncontrollable. For humans, all throughout time, have chosen to believe that they are superior, therefore possessing the right to manipulate everything they desire. This arrogance and self-importance is shown within the hubris of designing parents. The problem is found in their drive to master the mystery of birth in order to fulfill their own desires. Parents would rather have a child that meets their wants, whether it be a healthy baby or a intelligent one, instead of accepting what unknown. “The deeper danger found within hubris, is that genetically enhancing children will represent a kind of hyper-agency--an aspiration to remake human nature in order to serve human purposes” (Sandel, FORA.tv). As this quote shows, the risk of altering the beauty of nature, is that humanity will be too arrogant, driven by their desire to master nature, and fail to recognize that not everything in the world is open to whatever …show more content…
Dr. Ted Peters states that “when we see ourselves as the creators of life then we lose reverence for life” (cite source here). Thus, by playing God, humans no longer appreciate the preciousness of conceived life, prizing instead the ability to master the mystery of birth. With the loss of appreciation, the results would negatively disfigure the world’s moral landscape; tempting people into the erroneous idea that life is man made, and self created. Although it may be the ultimate expression of humans to see themselves as masters of their own nature, this promise of mastery is flawed, bring us back to the idea of hubris. “We have learned from experience that what the Bible says is true: ‘pride goes before destruction’ (Proverbs 16:18). And in our modern era, pride among the natural scientists has taken the form of overestimating our knowledge, of arrogating for science a kind of omniscience that we do not in fact have… thus ‘playing God’ means we confuse the knowledge we do have with the wisdom to decide how to use it. Frequently lacking this wisdom, we falsely assume we possess beneficial scientific knowledge, which then leads to unforeseen consequences” (cite source here). Therefore, what the quote bring to light, is the fact that in order to appreciate children as gifts, one must eliminate hubristic desires which get in the way of accepting