Human cloning and Immanuel Kant Essay Example for Free

Human cloning and Immanuel Kant Essay everywhere the last decade, the advent of cloning and advancements in tender genetic enquiry have presented society with a complicated example quandary. Debate rages as to what bes legitimate paths of inquiry and where to draw the line as to seek that strikes many people as morally wrong.The basic question is how does society determine whats right? While, of course, questions regarding human genetic research are new, this basic question is as hold as civilization and has been turn to over and over again by historys outstanding philosophers. One of the most nonable philosophers of the modern piece is Immanuel Kant, who was born in Prussia in 1724. Kant paid a great deal of attention to haomaulating a analyzable system of morality.The get hitched withing examines Kantian morals and how they might be applied to questions of human genetic research. Kants moral theory is predicated on the idea of the categorical imperative, which Ka nt described in the following manner, Act save on that maxim which you can at the same time will to be a universal law(Honderich, 1995, p. 436). By the term maxim, Kant meant general rules or principles upon which rational individuals act, and that these principles reflect the end that an individual has in mind in choosing actions of a definite type in given circumstances (Honderich, 1995). Therefore, maxims are principles in the following formWhen in an S-type situation, act in an A-type manner in order to attain end- E (Honderich, 1995, p. 436). For example, a mostbody might resolve to pay a bill as soon as it is received in order to not incur any debt. Kant tested a maxim by performing a thought experiment in which the individual asks oneself whether or not one would will a certain maxim to become universal law. As this suggests, moral law, in the philosophy of Kant, is inherent in understanding itself. It is a priori, before experience (Frost, 1962).In every circumstance, Ka nt believed that categorical imperative provides a sure measurement for how to evaluate right and wrong (Frost, 1962). Kant maintained that an action that the individual can easily will that everyone should follow and perform would necessarily have to be a good act (Frost, 1962). Morality for Kant not only involved law (categorical imperative) but also the ultimate end to which action is directed. As the formulation of the thought of categorical imperative suggests, the basic problem for Kant was to discern the meaning of right and wrong, good and bad (Frost, 1962, p. 94). underlying to Kants thinking was the principle formulated by Rousseau that the only fundamentally good thing in the creationness is the human will governed by respect for the moral law or the consciousness of duty (Frost, 1962, p. 94). He considered a moral act to be one that is performed out of respect for moral law, rather than for egotistic gain or sympathy for opposites (Frost, 1962).Therefore, unlike ot her moral systems, Kant did not see consequences as the criteria for find the moral value of a specific action. Rather, Kant looked toward the intentions of the individual. If an individual acts from good intentions, out of respect for moral law, his actions, are by definition, good. Kant argued that individuals instinctively avoid behavior, which, if performed by everyone, would create anarchy. We know, not by reasoning, but by magnificent and immediate feelings, that we must avoid behavior which, if adopted by all men, would render social action impossible (Durant, 1961, p. 209).As this brief summary of Kantian ethics suggests, if Kant were presented with the problem of the morality of genetic research, he would, first of all, be concerned about(predicate) the motivations of the researchers, their intentions in conducting such research (Frost, 1962). In the furor that was speedily generated over the no-hitly cloning of a sheep, Dolly, the usefulness of cloning applied scie nce to current medical behave was pushed aside. Nevertheless, the covers are considerable. A great deal of technical information has been left out in the sensuality that abounded in the media. For one thing, the media did not make it clear that Dolly was not an identical clone (Wilson,1997). break-dance of everyones genetic material comes from the mitochondria in the cytoplasm of the egg. In the case of Dolly, only the nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid was transferred (Wilson, 1997). This may have significant information to import to scientists concerning the aging surgical procedure since aging is related to acquired mutations in mitochondrial DNA (Wilson, 1997, p. 913). Furthermore, as Dolly ages, it has been noted that she is aging prematurely, which provides another source of information for scientists, but also signals that this engineering science is far from perfected.Research conducted on nuclear transfer into human eggs has the possibility of providing an immense pith o f information that may have clinical value, by providing a model for learning more about somatic cell speciality (Wilson, 1997, p. 913). Eventually, in due course, scientists may learn how to influence cell differentiation and this could give rise to targeted cell types (Wilson, 1997). The ability to generate tissues from different cell types could have enormous implications for transplantation. Wilson (1997) anticipates this technology utilizing skin and blood cells, and possibly even neuronal tissue that could then be used in the treatment of injury, transplants for leukemia, and for degenerative disease such asParkinsons disease (p. 913). In another area of research, the successful cloning of human growth hormone (HGH) is important for several reasons. First of all, a child that has pituitary dwarfism requires twice-weekly injections until reaching age of 20. In the past, HGH was could only be obtained by removal of human pituitary tissue at autopsy. To treat one child with pi tuitary dwarfism using previous methods needed obtaining over a thousand pituitaries (Emery and Malcolm, 1995, p. 165).Not only has it been difficult in the past to produce nice HGH to successfully provide treatment to all the children who needed it, but small amounts of contaminating virus caused some of the children treated to develop Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (Emery and Malcolm, 1995, p. 165). Cloning technology, which permits HGH to be produced artificially, has provided a readily available supply of HGH, which-in turn-has allowed the application of HGH in other treatments. For example, it has been discovered that HGH can be used to speed up the healing process for bone fractures (Emery and Malcolm, 1995). This is been particularly beneficial in treating the elderly (Emery and Malcolm, 1995).As this brief summary of scientific research being conducted into cloning and genetic research indicates, there are enormous benefits to be reaped from this new and polemic technology. Ka nt would undoubtedly approve of research that so obvious benefits humanity and society. What people seem to fear, and what would undoubtedly be wrong by any moral system, are nightmare scenarios propagated by the media and Hollywood. Images of clones being used scarcely as spare parts to extend the life of the rich, for example, has been dramatized in film.This sort of misuse of technology would constitute a threat to the social system and, therefore, would not pass Kants categorical imperative test. In other words, if everyone were cloned, it would significantly lower the way that human life is valued in our society. Also, the idea of human embryos being created and destroyed simply to further genetic research objectives is simply abhorrent on an instinctive level. Therefore, while it can be seen that this technology needs to be carefully controlled and supervised in regards to moral issues, it should not be totally banned either, as it also has the power to benefit society to a g reat degree.