Download “Science will soon create the perfect human

CREDITS: S. Beauvais, November 2009 J. PAVICH, AICE: General Paper, Boca Raton H.S. DISCURSIVE ESSAY SAMPLE
“Science will soon create the perfect human being.” Discuss.
In the last ten years, science has made great strides in both genetic and medical fields.
The human genome project allows scientists to chart every gene and chromosome in the human
body in order to determine which diseases a particular person is predisposed to contract; this
scientific innovation could ultimately lead to the prevention of many deadly ailments. Swift
progress in the field of science may lead one to believe that science will soon create the perfect
human being; however, it does have its hurdles to clear, suggesting that scientific perfection may
not be in the near future.
Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World prophecies the creation of the perfect human.
A dystopian novel, Huxley’s prediction depicts a very real future. In the novel, humans are
pharmaceutically bred and conditioned through a scientific process called, the Bokanosky’s
Process. During this procedure, eggs undergo intense manipulation to either enhance the human
or handicap it; and all the while, the scientist controls how many fetuses are born as a means of
total population control, in body and mind. While this may seem a little extreme, scientists today
have similar procedures. The Human Genome Project, as mentioned previously, can manipulate
the gene map of an individual; meanwhile, In Vitro fertilization allows eggs to be fertilized
outside of the womb, like Bokanosky’s Process. Moreover, reproductive cloning has been
successful as well. Dolly, the lamb, was the first cloned animal, and she lived for six years.
These advancements prove that science is on its way toward creating the perfect human being.
Additionally, embryonic stem cell research is another scientific field in which science
might create a flawless human being. Embryonic stem cells are unspecialized cells that have the
19 CREDITS: S. Beauvais, November 2009 J. PAVICH, AICE: General Paper, Boca Raton H.S. potential to replace any cell in the human body. They’ve found in embryos and fetuses. Since
these cells have the ability to become any cell, scientists can manipulate them into a cell they
need. For instance, if a person is dying from kidney failure, essentially stem cells could be used
to grow a new, healthy kidney, saving said person from certain death. Thus, embryonic stem
cells will likely aid in producing a perfect human being.
However, though cell growth is now possible in labs, there are some moral dilemmas
regarding embryonic stem cell research. Since the stem cells are most often gathered from
terminated embryos, there are many ethical concerns about whether scientists should be allowed
to use them. In many religions, such as Christianity for example, aborting a fetus is considered a
sin. Generally, parishioners of this faith, and others like it, disapprove the cultivation of an
aborted fetus. Up until recently, funding for stem cell research came solely from private funds
after former president George W. Bush vetoed the bill for government funding. And although
President Barack Obama currently permits government funding, making it physically possible to
pursue perfection, moral concerns make it unlikely that embryonic stem cell research will create
the perfect human being anytime soon.
Moral issues surrounding embryonic stem cells are not the only obstacle prohibiting the
creation of the perfect human being; incurable diseases also stand in the way of scientific
godliness. Cancer is one such disease blocking this path. Cancer is a growth or tumor caused by
abnormal or uncontrolled cell division. According to the American Cancer Society, it is the
second leading cause of death in the U.S. Scientists have been unable to find a cure for this
extremely complex ailment. According to the New York Times, scientists confessed that they
have a long way to go before a cure for cancer is found. Science could not possibly be close to
creating a perfect human being, if it has been unable to cure the second most deadly disease.
20 CREDITS: S. Beauvais, November 2009 J. PAVICH, AICE: General Paper, Boca Raton H.S. Clearly, there are points to be made that both support and refute science’s quest to perfect
the human race. While the concepts prophesied in Brave New World and the scientific aspect of
embryonic stem cell research point to science prevailing, the ethical side of embryonic stem cell
research and the presence of incurable diseases point to the opposite. In the end, ethics outweigh
science. According to Newton, for every scientific action there is a reaction, so if these
innovations cause consequence, it is highly unlikely that a perfect human being will be created
anytime in the near future.
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