Science is viewed dually by people. On the one hand, it is a means to improve the technological progress and at the same time to improve the quality of human life. On the other hand, the strength of religious beliefs and traditions makes people rebel against science if it breaks their outlook of the world (Trefil and Hazen, 2007). Accordingly, this paper will discuss the direction of the modern science that is heavily disputed – human cloning.
To start with, it is necessary to state that scientists who went ahead of their epochs and discovered the truth about our planet were always discriminated or even executed. Thus, for example, the discoveries of Galileo were perceived hostilely by the society of his epoch. The statements of this scientist about the shape of out planet, as well as about the fact that it rotates around the sun, resulted in his death in prison. This happened because the Christianity was rather conservative at that time, and the discoveries by Galileo contradicted its major dogmas. For example, the central role of Earth in the Universe was undoubted by the Church, but the statements of Galileo dismantled this myth, and made Earth into simply one of the planets turning around the sun (Trefil and Hazen, 2007).
However, with the development of the mankind, the ideas by Galileo became universally accepted and proven. Nowadays, there is another phenomenon that causes a lot of controversy – it is human cloning. The major reason to this negative attitude towards cloning is again the religion. All the religions of the world admit that the human beings were created by the God, and it is not in the human power to duplicate God’s creatures. Thus, the conservatism of the mankind stops its progress and does not allow the humanity to treat lethal diseases and prolong the lives of people (Annas et a., 2002).
It is proven by the researchers who cloned animals and plants, that human beings can be cloned for the sake of preserving their health. Moreover, the organs of human beings can be cloned separately to make the tasks for transplantation surgery easier and save lives of thousands of people. Nevertheless, there are numerous public organizations that stress the supremacy of the human rights over the needs of science. According to such scholars as Annas, Andrews, Isasi (2002) and others, there is a strong need in prohibiting the cloning research and inheritable alterations of human genes. These scientists stress the immoral and anti-human character of cloning as far as every human being is unique in his or her essence and it is the violation of rights and freedoms to create the copy of any other human being (Annas et a., 2002).
Moreover, one more reason for human cloning prohibition is the alleged possibility of dysfunction of the cloned human beings or separate organs. For example, scholars say that cloned organs can be infected with various diseases or be inclined to cancer and other serious illnesses. Having no knowledge about the possible development of these organs, as well as cloned human beings, it is rather dangerous to carry out such experiments (Annas et a., 2002).
Thus, the modern science faces serious resistance from the side of church, other scientists and the society. The issue of human cloning is rather controversial as some people see it as a means to save the mankind, while others consider it to be the major threat to the latter.
References
Trefil J., & Hazen, R. M. (2007). History and methods of science: Custom edition (5th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Annas, G., Andrews, L., Isasi, R. (2002). Protecting the Endangered Human: Toward an International Treaty Prohibiting Cloning and Inheritable Alterations. American Journal of Law & Medicine, 28, 151 – 178.