Idea of progress, the bundaries of science

ENGLISH ORAL : THE BOUNDARIES  OF SCIENCE

Notion abordée : Idea of progress

Problématique : Is scientific progress above ethics?

henrietta lacks (book)

implant to plug brain into supercomputers

designer babies

gender selection: in india, abortion of girls on the rise

First I shall define progress: progress is a development towards a better condition and therefore it implies changes. Indeed throughout history we went from a medicine that treats to a medicine that attempts to upgrade mankind. As the rhythm of progress seems to have accelerated these last decades, the cult of novelty and scientific progress  are now questioned. Is scientific progress above ethics?

 In order to answer to this question I chose four documents : an extract referring to Henrietta lacks’ cells entitled « unstoppable cells », an article dealing with the creation of a brain device entitled « implant to plug brain into supercomputers », a video : « designer babies » dealing with gender selection and the last one is an other video which raises the problem of this kind of manipulation called : « gendercide sex selective abortions killing india’s future ».

First of all we will see the beneficial aspects of scientific progress, then we will see it drawbacks.

I The beneficial aspect of scientific progress

Medecine’s progress permits to cure mortal diseases. Henrietta lacks’s cells were the first to live and  to multiplicate out of the human body. Thanks to her cells millions of lives were saved, medicines were conceived, like the polio vaccine. Her cells revolutionized medecine.

Besides we extend our life expectancy so much that we have to face with unknown diseases like alzheimer and according to the second document, the brain device that the DARPA is developing, might cure some brain diseases.  This implant would also dramatically improve current neurotechnology abilities by connecting this miniaturized implant to computers and boost our memory too. That is why we can qualify the progress of science as an improvement in our living conditions. Indeed it is also the theory of the notion idea of progress : people become happier in terms of quality of life through the application of science.

As matter of fact, by the progress of science, the possibility of choosing the sex of their baby is given to families. The poor family like the one shot in the video : designer baby, who can not afford to have several children to finally get a boy or a girl, is now given the chance to select the sex of their child. 

II Drawbacks that have impact on human ethics

Humans are arrived at a point where they have access to a huge power thanks to the progress of science. Of course it had a lot of good effects on the society but is this progress above our humanity? 

Let’s take for exemple HeLacks’ cells : scientist appropriated her dead body for manipulations without any permission of her family. This process is illegal and immoral : everyone used the mother’s

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