Term Paper on "Eugenics David Silver's the Virtual Child"

Term Paper 3 pages (1171 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Eugenics

David Silver's "The Virtual Child" -- Oh Brave New World, Oh Wonder -- that has such people (and cloned sheep in it!)

Dolly" was the first sheep ever to make the cover of Time Magazine. This seismic public act of acclaim occurred, not because of her innate charm, or beauty, nor was Dolly the star of an up-and-coming reality television show about wool farming. Rather, she was the first animal ever to be artificially cloned by human, scientific hands, as opposed to a twin occurring naturally as a result of arbitrary genetic processes. This event, warns author Lee Silver, a geneticist at Princeton University and author of "The Virtual Child," is only a frightening precursor as to what could happen to the American family as a result of human cloning. (513) if Dolly becomes the template for human reproductive behavior, warns silver, life and childhood as we know it, will come to a sorry and swift end.

The first human to be cloned would undoubtedly meet with similar fame as Dolly. Perhaps, if the parents allowed it, the child has a similarly prominent publicity 'run' on the cover of Time. But really, what should be featured suggests Silver, are the faces of the family members whom allow this to occur -- which seek to create a member of their family rather than accept the arbitrary nature of human mortality. These individuals who design their children as replicas or super children rather than as relatives by genetic chance will fundamentally upset the balance of nature, physically and psychologically.

Lee Silver's essay upon "The Virtual Child," is from a larger work, entitled Remaking Eden. This plays upon the notion of life as blissful ignorance in Eden. In Silver's view, despite his own academic prowess, the gaining of knowledge is a fall from grace, or at least as a dangerous thing to be feared. His pervasive fear is marked throughout the entire essay. It would have been better, Silver suggests, if we had never known how to clone, despite the potential benefits the science could give in terms of regenerating organs. The potential dangers are too great, he states, if the technology is used to its ultimate extent and possibilities. (516-517)

Silver does not merely argue that our technical understanding of science has transcended our current scientific, ethical frameworks and out societal comprehension of what it means to be human. Given the fast-paced development of what Silver calls "reprogenetics" technology, after all, how could it not? Many observers have noted that the most dated artistic conceptions of are how the past (today's present) was envisioned our future, from H.G. Wells' Time Machine, to Disney's "Tomorrow land," to "The Jetsons." But even though we could not have envisioned the present, we can at least circumvent what may happen tomorrow, Silver argues, with legal strictures. In other words, Silver states that ethically speaking we as a society should quit while we are 'ahead' (or behind) and give up the pursuit of genetic perfection, and also, tragically, the cure to many genetic disorders.

Thus, Silver is bold and politically 'incorrect' when he states that he knows individuals may die because of such a prohibition. But Silver envisions a future society where the rich can buy genetic advantages for their future children, even though such advantages might start innocuously enough, with genetic screening for diseases. The cure of genetic screening, though, will be worse than the disease of the pursuit of perfection. Silver states that the practice of what he terms… READ MORE

How to Reference "Eugenics David Silver's the Virtual Child" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Child Labor Disregarding Child Welfare for Profit Term Paper

Child Labor

Disregarding Child Welfare for Profit

As our world's economies grow, so do multinational corporations (MNC). Many of those corporations feel the pressure to stay competitive. In doing so… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (2183 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Child Porn Online the Pedophiles Playground Term Paper

Child Porn Online: the Pedophiles' Playground

Child pornography, pedophiles and child sexual abuse have been around for centuries on a limited scale, but the proliferation of the Internet in recent… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2918 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Child Soldiers of Sierra Leone Research Paper

Child Soldiers of Sierra Leone

Childhood is supposed to be a time for innocence, the only time in a person's long life where their cares are allowed to be limited… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (3473 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Children's Safety on the Internet Term Paper

Children's Safety On The Internet

State and federal Internet laws and regulations have made it safer for children online.

One of the most frequent headlines hitting newspapers and also receiving… read more

Term Paper 15 pages (4143 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Children, Especially Teenagers, Are at a Vulnerable Essay

Children, especially teenagers, are at a vulnerable age where desires for acceptance and love reach beyond their families, resulting in a risk that did not exist before. With the increasing… read more

Essay 6 pages (1762 words) Sources: 14 Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>