Sunday, 22 April 2012

Diminished sense of identity


Imagine that a man is lying on the bed with his eyes closing. Then, he suddenly feels that someone is pointing a gun at him. He opens his eyes and finds it is his “brother”­­a genetic and thinking duplicate of himself. No matter how hard he is trying to escape, his “brother” can easily find him. It is impossible for him to get rid of being killed, because his “brother” is the person who on earth knows him best.
The scene above seems ridiculous in recent days; however, with the development of cloning technology, it will finally come true. What I cannot accept most is the diminished sense of identity after the cloning development. For example, when I come across a friend on the street, I don’t want to figure out whether he is a real one or a duplicated one. Also, it is hard to imagine that many people who look exactly the same as me. Two weeks ago, our class had a discussion about transplant, and most of our classmates chose not to donate their face. “Who am I” has already been a tough question in human history, no one want to add another question like “who am real I.”
I like what Wayne Pacelle said: “Just because you are capable of something, does not mean you should act on it.” I believe that what beneficial effects of cloning can be replaced by other biologic technology. It is no need for scientists to choose an adventurous one.

1 comment:

  1. It is really terrible to have someone who is the duplicate of oneself. Our sence of identity may be the reason why we are on the world. Technology development will benefit us a lot, and it can also deprive a lot of what we already have.

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