Post by Uber Loodle on Jan 21, 2009 18:53:03 GMT -5
Ummm...how bad does this ramble? XD
4. Considering that all research must be funded, either with public or private funds, is scientific research and subsequent discoveries in genetics a reflection of society’s values and morals?
Everything done by society is a reflection of its morals. Everything broadcasted on television, everything published, and everything discovered is an indication of where our priorities lay and what values we have in this new day in age. As the world evolves and our curiosities grow, we have a new motivation to discover. We have the ability to say to ourselves, “Why does this happen?” or “what if we tried this…?” and experiment to find the answer; society feeds off of human curiosity. We have a desire to know the unknown, to cure the incurable, to invent the undiscovered and our morals form around that.
One reason our curiosity is sparked is when our world evolves and new needs develop. As the world populated, diversity became quite relevant. As diversity grew, so did the amount of disputes within people. Unfortunately, this led to a rise in crime over a period of time. As the crime rate rose, people became curious how a criminal could be prosecuted. This led to the development of DNA fingerprinting. People discovered that the oils in the skin would leave a residue on whatever it touched. With this discovery, further curiosity led us to find that we could match these prints with the person involved. This finding has now become very useful to making our evolving world a safer place and reflects on our values of keeping it that way.
What if we could make foods better and make every bite more efficient in getting people healthier? Obviously, someone, somewhere along the line asked that very question. After that question was asked, a team of curious researchers began trying to genetically engineer foods. In this, they not only succeeded in making food more efficient, but they made it clear where their values stood. Controversy arose, further reflecting upon the different morals and beliefs of different people; some say genetically altering foods is messing with the work of nature, while others believe in the advancement to make us healthier. By genetically engineering foods, it looks as if some of society’s values are pointing in the direction of making people healthier.
Curing the worst diseases has always been on the minds of scientists; after all, being diagnosed with a disease that doesn’t have a cure is devastating news to someone. Researchers then discovered the idea of stem cell research. This highly controversial subject (in constant debate amongst United States lawmakers) has emphasized the morals and values of many different people in many different situations. Researchers found that by taking the cell from a premature embryo, they could research the world’s worst diseases and potentially find cures for them. Though the idea of stem cell research is one that could lead to scientific miracles, many people disagree with it because of their religious morals.
Specific diseases and the amount of research being done on them is also a reflection upon the priorities of our society. Joubert syndrome is a disease that fairly little is known about. There is no known cure as of yet, though select researchers are constantly studying the causes and effects of it. Society is built upon the concept of serving the majority first. Joubert syndrome is a very rare disease, only one in one hundred thousand people have it. There are many more diseases that are far more widespread with just as much of a reason to be researched. Our values guide us to research the more prevalent harm.
Human nature, curiosity and values have led our society to where it is today. Though our human nature isn’t always what one might call moral, we have grown and evolved over time. What we believe is right is what we do. Our curiosity has led us to make great strides in science, curing diseases, treating some, or fighting some off all together. Our morals and values are reflected in everything we do as a race, and especially emphasized when we prioritize our scientific research.
4. Considering that all research must be funded, either with public or private funds, is scientific research and subsequent discoveries in genetics a reflection of society’s values and morals?
Everything done by society is a reflection of its morals. Everything broadcasted on television, everything published, and everything discovered is an indication of where our priorities lay and what values we have in this new day in age. As the world evolves and our curiosities grow, we have a new motivation to discover. We have the ability to say to ourselves, “Why does this happen?” or “what if we tried this…?” and experiment to find the answer; society feeds off of human curiosity. We have a desire to know the unknown, to cure the incurable, to invent the undiscovered and our morals form around that.
One reason our curiosity is sparked is when our world evolves and new needs develop. As the world populated, diversity became quite relevant. As diversity grew, so did the amount of disputes within people. Unfortunately, this led to a rise in crime over a period of time. As the crime rate rose, people became curious how a criminal could be prosecuted. This led to the development of DNA fingerprinting. People discovered that the oils in the skin would leave a residue on whatever it touched. With this discovery, further curiosity led us to find that we could match these prints with the person involved. This finding has now become very useful to making our evolving world a safer place and reflects on our values of keeping it that way.
What if we could make foods better and make every bite more efficient in getting people healthier? Obviously, someone, somewhere along the line asked that very question. After that question was asked, a team of curious researchers began trying to genetically engineer foods. In this, they not only succeeded in making food more efficient, but they made it clear where their values stood. Controversy arose, further reflecting upon the different morals and beliefs of different people; some say genetically altering foods is messing with the work of nature, while others believe in the advancement to make us healthier. By genetically engineering foods, it looks as if some of society’s values are pointing in the direction of making people healthier.
Curing the worst diseases has always been on the minds of scientists; after all, being diagnosed with a disease that doesn’t have a cure is devastating news to someone. Researchers then discovered the idea of stem cell research. This highly controversial subject (in constant debate amongst United States lawmakers) has emphasized the morals and values of many different people in many different situations. Researchers found that by taking the cell from a premature embryo, they could research the world’s worst diseases and potentially find cures for them. Though the idea of stem cell research is one that could lead to scientific miracles, many people disagree with it because of their religious morals.
Specific diseases and the amount of research being done on them is also a reflection upon the priorities of our society. Joubert syndrome is a disease that fairly little is known about. There is no known cure as of yet, though select researchers are constantly studying the causes and effects of it. Society is built upon the concept of serving the majority first. Joubert syndrome is a very rare disease, only one in one hundred thousand people have it. There are many more diseases that are far more widespread with just as much of a reason to be researched. Our values guide us to research the more prevalent harm.
Human nature, curiosity and values have led our society to where it is today. Though our human nature isn’t always what one might call moral, we have grown and evolved over time. What we believe is right is what we do. Our curiosity has led us to make great strides in science, curing diseases, treating some, or fighting some off all together. Our morals and values are reflected in everything we do as a race, and especially emphasized when we prioritize our scientific research.