RELATIONSHIP TO ISSI470
ISSUES AND IDEAS: BIOTECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN VALUES
Every decision made over the course of our lives is affected by our moral and ethical fiber. The topics explained in this site are no different. The progression of this course has shown me several different aspect of human nature and the contribution that it makes toward pioneering technologies.
The main issue that must be taken under consideration, and was emphasized in this course, is that we, as humans, are flawed. All of us make mistakes and regret decisions from our past but these differences are what make the world a great place. The debate over Stem Cell Research was simply an example of one of the choices that needs to be made for the betterment of society as a whole. We could sit down and debate weather Tommy John surgery should be taken a step further and be used to improve the athletic condition, or weather we should take the next step in genetic technology and gene mapping. But what it comes down to is that there are going to be arguments for and against every issue surrounding this course. What made the course so interesting was the fact that there is no right or wrong answer, simply ideas. The facts are laid before us and we, as individuals, are left to make the decision based on the things that we feel are right and wrong. It is my opinion that many of these issue should not be carried forth, but a whole new set of arguments could be raised in the defense of each of the issues. I also realize that there are many people in the world who hold different beliefs on these topics and I understand that they are no more right than I am, just different.
I am going to use the example of the events of September, 11th simply because it is an issue which plagues not only myself and others, but the world as a whole. When the twin towers collapsed and nearly 5,000 people were killed, our nation was devastated and looked to point the finger at whomever came forth with this act of terror. It was an atrocity which could only be rivaled by the threat of nuclear war and nearly every American viewed this act as morally, ethically, and emotionally wrong. What we do not understand is that Osama Bin Ladin and Al Quaida believed that they were doing to right thing because they view the United States as an "Evil Empire". They truly believed that their act of aggression was justified whereas we, as Americans hold a totally different view. Are we right to say that they are the evil ones, or are they right to say that we are the evil ones. Arguments can be made by both sides. We could sit down in a room with Al Quaida and debate who was right and who was wrong and it would be strikingly similar to the Stem Cell debate that we had in class. I didn't like the fact that there was a winner to that debate because there was no winner and there would be no winner in a debate against Al Quaida. Our different views and moral values play such a huge role in the advancement of society that nobody can say that they are right.
Getting back to my previous topic, nobody is right in deciding if Tommy John surgery should be able to improve the athletic condition of an individual or if we should implement gene mapping. The title of this course says it all: Issue and Ideas, Biotechnology and Human Values. When an "issue or idea" is raised over some aspect of "biotechnology" it comes down to "human values" to determine what is right and wrong. Since everyone in the world has a different set of values, no debates can be won, no fingers can be pointed, and nobody can be told that they are wrong. We are simply different.
This site was created for Biotechnology ISSI470 @ Monmouth College