Knowledge is value-neutral. The value depends on its user. Or is it? Douglas & Savulescu (2010) addresses three issues regarding concerns in Synthetic Biology: (1) it is playing god (?), (2) the distinction between living things and machines, and (3) knowledge misuse, which could leads to bioterrorism or warfare. On playing God, I think as long as it is within the reach of human knowledge, then it is not in the domain of God. It is true that the “openness” of Synthetic Biology could lead to many safety risks, but comparing them to the nuclear warfare is too much. Became paranoid or embrace the possibilities? Proceed with caution, develop risk reduction strategies, but don’t let fear limit our creativity.
What I found more interesting is:
“...that we will misjudge the moral status of the new entities that synthetic biologist may produce” (Douglas & Savulescu (2010, p. 689)
Human has always tried to define and categorize what is living being and what is not, what is their rights and moral status. What is a person and what is the value of life? Harris (1999) choses that a “creature capable of valuing its own existence” as a person, and thus explain its right to exist. And what interesting is, that individual have different moral significance: from potential, pre-person, to actual person. So, how do we know other being than human value their existence? Is it right to give gradual moral significance? What about animals and the creations of synthetic biology?
Regan (1985) argues that theories for animal rights (indirect duties, utilitarism, contractiarism) should be applicable to human rights too. If not, then its wrong. Regan views that all subject of life have inherent value, which is the value as individual to deny discrimination and weighting benefit cannot be used to violate the rights.
So, as synthetic biologists, how are we going to address the moral status of our “creation”? To be honest, I don’t know where to stand. Can logic judges what is right and what is wrong? Is it the time to hear what our heart speaks? Should we question our humanity?
0 comments :
Post a Comment