In the essay, Cloning Reality: Brave New World by Wesley J. Smith, a skewed view of the effects of cloning is presented. Wesley feels that cloning will end the perception of human life as sacred and ruin the great diversity that exists today. He feels that cloning may in fact, end human society as we know it, and create a horrible place where humans are simply a resource. I disagree with Wesley because I think that the positive effects of controlled human cloning can greatly improve the quality of life for humans today, and that these benefits far outweigh the potential drawbacks that could occur if cloning was misused.
Human cloning is one of the most controversial subjects in modern times. Supporters claim that cloning is a great advance in science and can lead to great discoveries and medical breakthroughs. Opponents feel that cloning is a threat to human individuality and is potentially disastrous. Both sides make reasonable arguments, however I feel that Wesley takes things a bit too far in his grim outlook on the future of humanity. Sure, there are downsides to cloning, and yes it can be dangerous if it is used for the wrong purposes. This is true with almost any new technology.
From gunpowder to cars to airplanes to computers to the Internet; any one of these technologies can be harnessed for negative purposes. Despite the risks involved however, all of these technologies have improved our standard of living and quality of life, and I feel cloning will do the same. Wesley J. Smith goes on and on about how eugenicists would want to create homogeneity among Humans, valuing traits such as intelligence and looks instead of love, compassion, and empathy. He feels that this would create an unnatural society of human beings, creating chaos among the world.
What he fails to recognize however is that it is not nearly as simple to do this as he thinks. Right now, cloning is in its very elementary stages, and most research being done is for medical purposes. Through advancing our knowledge in cloning and genetic engineering, we can eliminate unwanted traits and genetic diseases. Wesley may then try to argue that these unwanted traits and diseases make us unique, but I doubt he will get much support, especially from somebody who suffers from some horrible genetic disease or deformity.
Wesley then uses nature itself in his arguments by stating: Eugenics, as awful as it is, is only the beginning of the threat posed to the natural order by human cloning. Some cloners have decided that if they are going to play God they might as well do it all the way by creating altogether new life forms. Wesley is correct in stating that there are people who would want to use the technology of cloning and genetic engineering to create new life forms.
What he fails to realize however is that scientists arent crazy people who are trying their hardest to create strange and unnatural life forms. Most scientists are not eugenicists and arent after creating a race of super humans, or some sort of new species. Science is about learning about the world around us by using an organized approach, and this is exactly what scientists want to do. Cloning will allow us to further our knowledge of medicine, the human genome, and life itself.
Finally, Wesley ends his argument by stating: In cloning technologies we may face the highest price of all: the end of the perception of human life as sacred and the concomitant increase in the nihilistic belief that humans are mere biological life; an increasing willingness to use and exploit human life as if it were a mere natural resource; eventually, the loss of human diversity itself and these are just the foreseen consequences. The unforeseen consequences of mucking around in the human genome may be worse than we can imagine.
What is truly unforeseen by Wesley is the thousands of lives that will be saved by advances in medicine, the hours of pain and suffering prevented by curing genetic diseases, and the general knowledge we will gain about our very selves. Wesley talks about the unforeseen consequences, but fails to think about the unforeseen possibilities and doorways that cloning may open. Cloning technology may quite possibly offer the greatest improvement in health care that the world has ever seen. A technology that has the potential to save lives, improve health, and bring about general well-being cannot simply be discarded because of fear.
Throughout history, people have been afraid of new things. This is one reason why some cultures never advanced even after thousands of years. Those cultures that were more open to change however, did advance, and currently lead the world today. Having an open mind is one of the keys to advancement in technology, and most educated people today are very open-minded. I believe that cloning technology will lead to several advancements in medicine, biology, and reproductive research that will benefit us all in the years to come.
