Humanity’s insatiable quest for immortality, to escape the cold clutches of death, roots itself in our oldest tales. The mythical Fountain of Youth, first fabled by Herodotus’ writings in the 5th century BCE, and actively searched for by the Spanish explorer Ponce De León in the 16th century CE, idealizes our infatuation with cheating death. The opportunities generated by society’s incredible ameliorations of science and medicine yields a world ever-closer to achieving perpetual life. Fueled by increasing success in organ transplants, stem-cell research, and comprehension of genetics, the journey for immortality teeters on the brink of success. Artificial cultivation and harvest of vital organs and human leading to the ability for timeless living may be nearer than we think.
…show more content…
However, until such a time where we possess the ability to efficiently, and cheaply replicate all necessary human organs, the highly-profitable, and often black-market organ trade facilitates the extension of human life. Delving into a dystopian future, Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake reveals a reality where artificial organs are easily produced. Although the artificially-made organ trade depicted in Oryx and Crake differs from our world’s black-market trade dominated by human-harvested organs, the blatant similarities between the recipients of organs in her dystopian future and our own world reflects the necessity of wealth in access to healthcare. Utilizing the eerie setting of a dystopian future while maintaining an air of humor through her use of puns to prevent alienating the reader, Atwood attempts to caution us to the potential ramifications such advancements could
However, until such a time where we possess the ability to efficiently, and cheaply replicate all necessary human organs, the highly-profitable, and often black-market organ trade facilitates the extension of human life. Delving into a dystopian future, Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake reveals a reality where artificial organs are easily produced. Although the artificially-made organ trade depicted in Oryx and Crake differs from our world’s black-market trade dominated by human-harvested organs, the blatant similarities between the recipients of organs in her dystopian future and our own world reflects the necessity of wealth in access to healthcare. Utilizing the eerie setting of a dystopian future while maintaining an air of humor through her use of puns to prevent alienating the reader, Atwood attempts to caution us to the potential ramifications such advancements could