Thoughts From a Movie

Many movies are fictional, but they reflect situations in the real world. Some of them have given me a new perspective and changed my opinion on scientific research. For example, the movie Artificial Intelligence has made me consider ethics in science, specifically on the issue human clone.

The movie is about a robotic boy named David. He is the first robot to be programmed with real feelings and a never-ending love for his mom, just like a human boy. The boy’s creation is full of thoughtful scientific ideas: Many scientists put a lot of work into it. However, the production of the boy is thoughtless. They never consider the boy’s future; they only think about the technical difficulties. Initially, the boy is just a substitute for a family because the real son of the family has an incurable disease, but eventually they throw their robotic son away because he clashes with the real son when the real son returns from the hospital.

I think my friends and I were touched by this robotic boy’s courage and strong beliefs. We were shocked by the coldness and the lack of consideration of human beings. Also, I was interested in the ethical issue in this movie, which reminds me a lot of research in human cloning. Cloning large mammals is a hot topic in scientific society. Many people are debating about whether we should clone human. I think we need to think about this carefully. I believe if we did clone human, the clone would have a similar experience to David.

I don’t think the human cloning technology is useful. Why do we want to clone more human beings when we have population problems already? Countries like China and India are very crowded. The population problem also boosts cheap labor and the rate of unemployment. I think that research on human clone is a waste of time.

Will other humans accept a human clone? Even if they are exactly like a regular human being, will others still treat them as regular humans once their identities are revealed? David looks exactly like a real boy, but other kids didn’t accept him. There is no respect in their mind for David. Other kids were laughing at him, calling him a fake boy. They treated him as an object, even though he had real feeling. It is human nature to discriminate against other people that do not belong to your group. It has happened many times in human history and no one can guarantee it will not happen again. If we cannot guarantee the human clone the same rights as a regular human, we should not produce them.

What will we do with the human clones if we produce them? Are the scientists just going to put them in families with regular humans? I do not think the answer to either question is alternative. One of the reasons that scientists are doing the human cloning research is because they want to do something with the clones that they cannot do with a real human. This is the only practical purpose of human cloning. I think the scientists are going to do research on the human clone after they produce it. What are human clones? Are they just like test animals in the laboratory? We could run drug tests on them instead of mice. How convenient! And the result will be much more accurate! No, these motives are so wrong. These violate the basic rights that a human should have. The human clone deserves all the rights of a regular human. If we cannot guarantee them these rights, then we should not produce them.

Clone technology is not mature. Scientists don’t know if there are any defects in the clone. According to a recent report: Some cloned mammals developed diseases and physical problems, and some died within a few months after being produced.( BBC) Scientists cannot say that cloning technology is completely safe. I do not think we have the right to produce human clones. We cannot guarantee that the process is safe. What will happen if we have a defected human clone? The physical problems probably are going to ruin their whole lives. Are we going to put them in a human clone “dumpster”? We can use them, and then throw them away like trash. Remember they have feelings. They should have the same rights as all other human beings.

I do not mind if we want to clone specific organs to help patients for organ transplant. Cloning an organ is like making a mechanical heart for patients that have heart diseases. We make an instrument with no feeling and thoughts. Cloning a human is a different story. We make someone that has his or her own feelings and thoughts. The situation is far more complex than creating an object. We should put more consideration into it.

My intention is not just to criticize the cloning technology. I want people to realize there are many ethical issues in science. This movie reminds me of a quotation of Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park “You were so worried about whether you could do something that you did not stop to think about whether or not you should.” I think this issue is relevant for all the people in the scientific field. Many people around the world are working on the most advanced technology. They work very hard to reach their goal and pursue their career. Just like Ian Malcolm said, during the process of reaching their goals, they often forget something. They forget to think whether or not they should do what they are doing. For example, some scientists want to clone humans, but they don’t realize the consequences. Can we guarantee full rights to clone human as the natural human? Can we guarantee they will not be discriminated against? I think this is the message that I want to pass to the readers: To think carefully about the consequences of what you are doing. If we do clone humans, we should give them the full rights as a regular human being.

Reference

“Dolly the sheep clone dies young” , BBC NEWS, Feb 14, 2003

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2764039.stm

Acknowledge:

Jonathan Sueho, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, year of 2008

Molly Jabas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , year of 2008

People who read and commended on my paper in my writing class, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.