Conrad: Another argument against the
allowance of eugenic desires to influence parenting is that it will lead to fundamental
social inequalities.� Allowing parental
choice about the genetic makeup of a these parents' children may lead to the
creation of a genetic over class which has unfair advantages over those whose
parents did not or could not afford to endow them with the right biological
dispositions and traits.
How about the clearly distinguished classes in
Brave New World? No freedom exists in
this society of over classes.
Everyone in the same class is bred to think the same thoughts, hold the
same beliefs. This society even forbids
its population to read the works of the freethinking authors of our time such
as the innocent Shakespeare. Although
the plot of a classic science fiction novel, the consequences faced in the book
should not be ruled out. The Bokanovsky
process was a major instrument of social stability in the novel, encouraging
the tenets of Brave New Worlds utopian society: Community, identification,
stability. From their very creation in the lab using the Bokanovsky process and
other such methods, the classes in the novel are already predetermined
according to their desirable or undesirable genetic traits. The Alpha class for instance can be compared
to the ideal class in the movie Gattaca.
These individuals are physically, mentally, and virtually overall
perfect due to the genetic legacies that the machines of genetic engineering
have afforded them. Epsilons on the
complete opposite end of the spectrum must suffer through being the peons of
the society. Their genetic worth is
almost nil in comparison to the other classes.
This predetermination creates a mindset that erases all human attributes
of hope and freedom. And as a society
today that values personal freedom and liberties, should we not be disturbed by
the possibilities that this novel demonstrates? When it comes to matters of
human life and value, all possibilities should be considered, for once eugenic
thinking becomes a pattern of living, it will be too late to reverse the damage
eugenics may cause.
Promethia: Equity and fairness are
certainly important concepts in societies that are committed to the equality of
opportunity for all citizens. Society
should be able to take part in some kind of plan that will ensure fairness to
all in the realm or eugenics. A common
objection is the argument that only the rich will be able to use this
tool. Insurance and bank loans already
exist, and they could easily be incorporated into the subject of eugenics. In a
world where economic and social disparities and advantages are widely
prevalent, it would be unfair to rule out an idea, which may or may not cause
biological disparities and advantages, when the possible outcome of a eugenic
society could be a cure-all for our problem-plagued society.