The topic for my
research paper is the perils and promises of human cloning in the film Never Let Me Go, based on the
novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. In present time, human cloning is a controversial
issue due to the ethical and moral implications that surround it, however it is
the imminent and unavoidable future of Science. My argument is based on the
fact that this fictional film has painted a clearer picture of some of the
potential perils that may result from this technology. Therefore, I consider
the perils of human cloning to far outweigh the promises of this future method
of asexual reproduction. Moreover, two sources that support my argument are
“Psychological aspects of human cloning and genetic manipulation: the identity
and uniqueness of human beings” by Nestor Micheli Morales and “The Singularity
is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology” by Ray Kurzweil.
In the book The Singularity is Near: When Humans
Transcend Biology, Ray Kurzweil takes an optimistic approach to human
cloning as he discusses the potential benefits of this future technology.
However, he does mention that his opinion on the ethics of the issue at hand is
not based on notions solely surrounding the manipulation of life itself. Instead,
the basis of his viewpoint is founded upon realistic and factual evidence that
corroborates that the methods being put into practice have yielded undependable
results such as genetic deficiencies, “the current technique of fusing a cell
and nucleus from a donor to an egg cell using an electric spark simply causes a
high level of genetic errors. This is the primary reason that most fetuses
created by this method do not make it to term…the majority of cloned animals
produced thus far have had unpredictable health problems”( Kurzweil 208). Nevertheless,
the current shortcomings of this science will not prevent the unpreventable to
take place due to the science field’s continuous evolution, however as Kurzweil
mentions “but until technology is demonstrably safe, it would be unethical to
create a human life with such a high likelihood of severe health problems” (Kurzweil
208-209). In present time, cloning is a controversial subject; however, when
the methods being used are refined many of the moral and ethical policies
against it, which inhibit its current growth and progress, will be more
tolerant, especially if it is used in a manner where its results are beneficial
for humans and other animals alike. Therefore, it is a subject that as a
society we should not detract from and instead prepare for, thus more factual
information should be available, since fictional accounts that include novels
and films such as Never Let Me Go,
paint only the perils of new technologies but not the entire picture, which
overall involves other issues as well. Furthermore, Kurzweil takes an appealing
standpoint on issues surrounding cloning as he discusses the promises of this
future technology such as, the ability to create babies, the ability to reduce
the statistical number of endangered species, therapeutic human cloning except
he shines a different light on the topic in comparison to the novel, and human somatic-cell
engineering. In addition, he also makes a compelling argument on how genetic
engineering can help cure the world from the unfortunate defect of world hunger.
Furthermore, Kurzweil touches the subject of individuality and personality,
which is a major theme in the film he argues, “There’s no issue of
philosophical identity with genetic cloning, since such clones would be
different people, even more so than conventional twins today” (Kurzweil 212).
As one can see, one of the perils depicted in the novel is that of identity and
individuality, which is suggested in the film that the clones are made to
believe that they do not fully possess either one. This notion can be observed,
as Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy believe that finding more about their “originals”,
will help them acquire a deeper insight on who they themselves are as
individuals.
As I had previously mentioned,
in the present day human cloning is a contentious subject, however it is a
method of reproduction that will eventually prevail in the future, therefore it
is an event that society as a whole needs to prepare for. In the essay
“Psychological aspects of human cloning and genetic manipulation: the identity
and uniqueness of human beings” by Nestor Micheli Morales, he discusses a
principal concern that arises in the debate of human cloning, which is the
subject of uniqueness and individuality in human clones. Micheli argues that “an individual created through the
application of human cloning techniques or other similar techniques or any
other type of genetic manipulation will not show the donor’s characteristics to
the extent of compromising uniqueness” (Morales 44). However, the possibility
of a society that perceives cloned individuals as having a lack of these essential
human qualities, due to the nature of their conception may not be farfetched,
as it is portrayed in the film. The reason for this, as Morales discusses is
that there are political, religious and social forces that may contribute to
the general societal sentiment that clones do not possess an autonomous sense
of self completely dependent from their genetic parent. In addition, Morales
discusses other reasons as to why critics hypothesize psychological disorders
in cloned children, but at the same time, he explicates the various reasons as
to why society should not fear these concerns. Furthermore, he discusses the
concepts of individuality, intelligence, abilities, and personality in
relationship to twin studies, and makes comparisons between the relationships
of identical twins to that of cloned individuals, since both are genetically
similar.
In conclusion, I believe both
sources are relevant to my research paper, since both discuss the potential perils
of human cloning. Furthermore, even though both authors take an optimistic
approach when discussing the subject at hand, they do not fail to bring up the
realistic negative outcomes of this future technology, which over all is the topic
of my essay.
