Miriam Litterscheid

Topic: Utopia and dystopia - science and ethics, genetic engineeringText type: newspaper articles, editorials

Utopia/Dystopia

utopia

an ideal community or society

taken from a book by Sir Thomas More, written in 1516

comes from the Greek: οὐ, "not", and τόπος, "place" “nonexistent place”

also refers to human efforts to create a perfect society that does not exist (yet)

global utopia of world peace: seen as one of the possible endings of history after the two world wars

religious utopia: garden of delights; life free of worry

scientific and technological utopia: belief that one day science and technology will allow utopian living standards (absence of death, illness, suffering; changes in human condition)

dystopia

anti-utopia; cacotopia

antithesis of the utopian society

characterized by a totalitarian/authoritarian form of government/some kind of oppressive control

traits of dystopian literature: war, revolution, natural disaster, poor standard of living (only ruling class living in luxury), set in the future

Key terms + explanations

stem cell: cell with the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialized cells

undifferentiated cell: cell that has not yet developed into a specialized cell type

organ transplant: moving an organ from one organism to another

organ donation: the act of giving organs to another person

transhumanism: altering of the human genome to enhance human race

superiority complex: exaggerated feeling of being better than the others

biocentrism: life in the middle of evaluation

human dignity: state of righteousness in human beings

biodiversity: number/variety of organisms (within a geographic region)

chimera: individual composed of a mixture of genetically different cells

omniscience: having total knowledge; knowing everything

omnipotence: having unlimited power; being able to do everything

Genetic engineering

direct manipulation of an organism's genes

uses techniques of molecular cloning and transformation

PRO genetic engineering:- increase in understanding of nature- new revolution for medicine fight against diseasesCON genetic engineering:- not very safe little information- often too expensive

Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR)

embryonic stem cells

derived from embryos

develop from eggs that have been fertilized in an in-vitro fertilization clinic and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors

PRO research:-can differentiate into almost all types of bodily tissue treat diseases- embryo = no human life begins when the brain starts to develop-we will delay treatment if we keep arguing about the question of life - abortion: embryo gets destroyed why not make use of it which could save lives?- divide rapidly offer immediate treatment- solution to infertility problems- embryonic stem cells can be found easily- can be grown relatively easily in culture

CON research:- adult stem cells could be an alternative no killing involved + less money- long promised results have not occurred yet!- taking someone’s life in order to save another one’s is contradictory- embryonic stem cells can be rejected by the body- unknowns tumors could occur

- biocentric position: life stand in the middle of evaluation embryos die- Christian view: life starts with conception embryos = already human

Adult Stem Cell Research (ASCR)

adult stem cells

also known as somatic stem cells somatic = cells of the body (not the germ cells, sperm or eggs)

undifferentiated cells, found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ that can renew themselves

primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism: to maintain + repair tissue in which they are found

PRO research:- no killing involved- less money- cannot be rejected as embryonic stem cells can

CON research:- hard to find- might not divide fast enough to offer immediate treatment- are limited to differentiating into different cell types- are rare in mature tissues isolating these cells from an adult tissue is challenging

Cloning

refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments (molecular cloning), cells (cell cloning), or organisms

creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another

therapeutic cloning

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) / research cloning

embryo’s stem cells are extracted and encouraged to grow into human tissue or human organ for transplant

end result = replacement organ, piece of nerve tissue, or quantity of skin no human being!

destruction of an embryo after stem cells are extracted controversy over morality of procedure

reproductive cloning

intent of creating another organism

genetic material removed from a donor egg result = empty egg

a cell is taken from the organism to be cloned, its nucleus is removed

nucleus is then transferred into empty donor egg

embryo develops

embryo is then transferred into uterus of host organism not allowed yet!

PRO cloning:- treatment of diseases by cloning tissues/organs- pros outweigh the cons with regards to treating diseases- clones don’t have the same personality individuality remains

CON cloning:- no individuality anymore loss of “humanity”/dehumanization- close to “perfectionizing” organisms (e.g. children)- success rate is quite low - therapeutic cloning: stability of the egg with the infused somatic nucleus is poor, requires hundreds of attempts before success is attained embryos die destruction linked to abortion- only God can create life interfering with the progression of nature playing God = hubris- desire for omniscience and omnipotence immoral

Genetically Modified Food (GMF)

foods derived from genetically modified organisms

GM organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering

PRO GM Food:-meets the basic needs of the poor/global need for food- putting an end to hunger- there is more than enough food in the world hunger crisis is caused by problems in food distribution and politics, not production- less costs + lower lever of toxins because of less usage of pesticides- plants can be made resistant to extreme temperatures- can carry less calories, more vitamins and proteins increase in healthiness

CON GM Food:- may cause unknown diseases- widening the gap between rich and poor too expensive for poor/developing countries- biotechnologies have more power- biodiversity gets destroyed/manipulated/lost- promised successes have not been accomplished we should devote our efforts and

money into other solutions- serious health risk: bacteria resistance to antibiotics?- no labeling - cannot solve world hunger problems

Fictitious example – Frankenstein

novel written by Mary Shelley

plot:

scientist, Victor Frankenstein, learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man

created “monster” = Frankenstein = larger than average and more powerful

Frankenstein is treated unequally because of his uniqueness

discussing Frankenstein’s opinions (a few examples)

“Nobody ever needs to die”

one can’t have goals in life if it lasts forever

if you don’t know the pain of losing a beloved person, how are we meant to feel the happiness of being loved?

better to die than to live in pain

life is connected with death/death is the natural way of life

it’s against God’s will which can’t be cheated

“If we can replace one part of the human body, we can replace every part”

single parts are necessary to save lives, but a whole body?

there are enough people in the world

if we replace every part of the body, it will be like creating new human beings

“A dead body still can be brought back to life. It is not immoral to try”

some people want to die/you should be able to decide for yourself

who gives us human beings the right to decide over life/death?

who is responsible for the consequences if it fails?

just the thought it could be successful is immoral

“We can create life to cheat death”

humans can try to save lives, not create it

life and death are no games

life is given by God and death should be too

“We can create a being that is better than us, more intelligent, more civilized”

how can we be perfect when we destroy everything?

only God is omniscient and omnipotent

how can someone “different” be civilized when nobody wants to see anything different?

only a utopian dream

Frankenstein - The Modern Prometheus?

Prometheus (Greek mythology) parallels Victor Frankenstein in many aspects

both rebel against the law of nature

both try to be like God (hubris)

both disregard the limits

Victor Prometheus - is punished by his creature - is punished by Zeus- punishment: suffers the loss of his wife; gets killed by his creature

- punishment: tied up to a rock where his liver gets eaten by an eagle + grows every day pain

- stole the secret of creation from God - stole fire from heaven to give it to man

difference: Frankenstein lets his creature alone not able to understand that he as the creator is the “father”; Prometheus takes care and teachers his creatures

Newspaper articles

quality/posh papers

separate information and opinion

reader can form his/her own view

popular papers

often mix information and opinion

ready-made opinion is offered

news stories

information on current events

deals with matters close to the reader

presents very new or unusual news items

reports about sensational topics

informs about conflicts

only based on facts avoids extra information or writer’s personal opinion

comments

offer view on current issues

editorials- contain comments which are based on a newspaper’s tendency therefore close to the views of the reader

op-eds (opposite editorial/opinion editorial)- give second/different opinions on a subject

columns- short essays on different topics the journalist is free to choose

human interest stories

illustrate general problems

one individual case arousing sympathy (e.g. victims of earthquake)

Possible tasks for analyzing a newspaper article

how does the author try to convince the readers?

stylistic devices

facts

enumeration

exaggeration

rhetorical questions

direct address

irony

allusions

c.f. list of devices on the weblog

function/effect of the headline (+ sometimes also sub-heading)

arouses the reader’s interest

summarizes or tells about the article

often reveals the first critical comment of the author bias?

pro/counter arguments

how does he/she try to appear reliable?

choice of words

scientific vocabulary (adjectives, verbs)

precise definitions

tone?

write a letter to the editor (Leserbrief) or comment on the article

How to write a letter to the editor

upper right corner: your address

below your address: the date

upper left corner: receiver’s address

below receiver’s address: salutation without “dear” (e.g. “Sir or Madam”)

your first sentence mentions the article you’re referring to, the date of publishing and your initial reaction to it

start off by introducing yourself and your position

explain your opinion (argumentative part)

refer to arguments mentioned in the article

end your letter with your name and place of residence only; no complimentary close (i.e. ‘yours sincerely’)

How to comment on the article

mention pro- and counter arguments of the text + develop them further (i.e. discuss them)

comparison with previous knowledge

state your opinion on the topic + support your views with evidence

conclusion: weigh pros and cons