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Ethics Of Cloning

 

            For nearly a century, cloning has been the subject of popular fiction even though the technology was lacking in reality. Recently, with the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, many suspect that clones of humans or human parts will soon be realized- if not already. Therefore, it has become increasingly necessary to consider the possible harms to humanity this new science may cause. Additionally, intense discussion regarding the social and moral ramifications of this controversial, multi-faceted subject is needed. To maintain an impartial and more logical discussion, it's helpful to understand man's desire to clone humans and establish dialogues between the opponents and supporters of cloning. This paper considers some of the potential positive contributions of cloning with the associated negative consequences.
             Early proponents of cloning hoped that this science could be used to create a better humanity. This idea, called eugenics, dominated early 20th Century thought and is concerned with the social direction of human evolution. A distinction is made between positive and negative eugenics. Positive eugenics aims to increase reproduction of individuals who have desirable traits, such as high intelligence or great physical fitness; these traits are considered to be protective factors for human evolution. Negative eugenics seeks to decrease reproduction among people considered inferior or below average mentally and/or physically (Glass 1996). Cloning for a better humanity is then normally associated with positive eugenics. .
             Immediately, when thinking of positive eugenics, one recalls the ideas that dominated Nazi Germany. Nazi policy advocated enforcing "racial hygiene" to create a superhuman, master race. Additionally, a belief in the inherent inferiority of some races and social classes and superiority of others, was widely accepted by those who followed the Nazis (Allen 1996).


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