Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Nov 19 Kass – Ch 9 (L’Chaim and Its Limits); Kitcher Ch 10 (Playing God?); McGee Ch 3 (Playing God?)

I am sure I have touched on my views as regards immortality and playing God in the past, but as these were the topics of our three chapters for today, I will briefly run through my perspective. I am shaped by my religious perspective and therefore see cloning and in vitro fertilization as interfering in the reproductive process and therefore condone such technologies. I also do not agree with most genetic technologies because who am I to choose those who should live and those who should die? Furthermore, I have a fundamental problem with the extent of research we pour into prolonging life on earth because we all have to die someday. If we find cures to cancer and heart attack and who knows what else, we will only begin dying of other maladies. I think life is a gift and is thereby neither ours to create nor destroy. To say that the entire medical field is obsolete is an exaggeration though, because I see no harm in treating diseases or symptoms and helping the immune system a little (after all, the people who shared these technologies with humanity may have also been sharing their gifts), but I think we put far more emphasis in achieving extensive longevity here on earth than is necessary (not to mention, could be quite detrimental based on consumption patterns and overpopulation problems).

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