Technology is a powerful force in our world, and the question of whether technology is a liberating or destructive force should be asked. This question calls us to consider where technology fits in our lives and, more precisely, what do we want from it? We seem to live by the motto "It's not good enough; make it better." Technology is with us and cannot be ignored. Moreover, ethical issues for business and for society have arisen as a result of technological advances. Many would argue that technology has developed at a speed significantly outpacing society's, government's and business's thinking about the consequences of technology. Maybe we are trying to do, or have too much before we can handle such responsibility. .
In the book by Neil Postman, "Technopoly": The Surrender of Culture to Technology, Postman warns that "The uncontrolled growth of technology destroys the vital sources of humanity. It creates a culture without moral foundation. It undermines certain moral processes and social relations that make human life worth living." Postman makes a valid point, as does Jeremy Rifkin in his essay "A Heretic's View on the New Bioethics" when he states "With human genetic engineering, we get something and we give up something. In return for securing our own physical well-being we are forced to accept the idea of reducing the human species to a technologically designed product." (pg.246) Is it ethical to be able to manipulate genes in order to eliminate defects or to create the baby that is exactly what the parents choose? Shouldn't the job of playing God be left for God? .
Eugenics, which is the ethical wing of biotechnology, was a concern of the world long ago when Hitler was in power. Why not now? Hitler's quest for the perfect race was not too different than our own genetic purification taking place in medical labs today. The main difference being that Hitler tried to create by executing "the unwanted people" already alive and today's attempt to manipulate genetic structure before life exists.
