Kantian Ethics concerning human Cloning.
Cloning is a procedure conceived to notion in the late 1960s, but it is only recently that it was fully understood and that scientists have started to figure out how to successfully copy the genetic composition of one organism to another. Since science already knows how to do this, the only problems and obstacles that remains is efficiency and the success ratio of each operation. The cloning process consists of taking the nucleus of an organism, and placing it, along with the DNA that contains all the genetic material, in place of the nucleus of the host egg. The egg then forms an embryo and matures into the same exact "copy", at least genetically, as the original organism. Already done on mammals, cloning is something that can be extended to utilize humans as subjects. In the future it will be wholly possible to create human clones to serve whatever purpose they were conceived for. However, presently there are numerous ethical issues surrounding cloning and there are problems about the implications of the use of cloning for the purpose of medicine. This issue plagues us so much that the constant objections of bioethicists and political and religious leaders have caused the US Government to propose a ban on all research concerning human cloning until a conclusion is reached on the moral and ethical aspects of the process. (Macer, 2)
In this paper, I will discuss how Kantian views and ethics help us understand whether it is morally ethical to clone for the purpose of bettering our lives. Two points have to be distinguished. How exactly will human cloning aid medicine and society, and the implications of human worth and dignity when applied to clones.
Kantian ethics were proposed by Immanuel Kant in his critical writing of the "Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals". Kant argued that "non-rational things have only a relative value as means and are consequently called things. Rational beings, on the other hand, are called persons because their nature already marks
In this paper, I will discuss how Kantian views and ethics help us understand whether it is morally ethical to clone for the purpose of bettering our lives. Two points have to be distinguished. How exactly will human cloning aid medicine and society, and the implications of human worth and dignity when applied to clones.
Kantian ethics were proposed by Immanuel Kant in his critical writing of the "Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals". Kant argued that "non-rational things have only a relative value as means and are consequently called things. Rational beings, on the other hand, are called persons because their nature already marks
Bibliography: Friedman, Dan. "Cloning" Macalester Journal of Philosophy Vol. 9, 1999 Gardner, Jennifer. "To Clone or Not to Clone" http://pages.prodigy.net/darvi/clone.htm (12 Feb, 2001) "Kant, Immanuel" Encyclopaedia Britannica: In Depth Knowledge 1999 ed. Macer, Darryl R.J., Ph.D. "Ethical Challenges as we approach the end of the Human Genome Project." N.p: n.p. 2000 Ruse, Michael, and Sheppard, Aryne. Cloning: Responsible Science or Technomadness? Prometheus Books, December 2000