Team:SDU-Denmark/Tour63
"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do." - Potter Stewart
Ethics
When working in the field of synthetic biology one must have in mind that especially this field of science has many opponents. Here are some of the most common arguments against evolving genetically modified organisms (GMO), which is the main discipline in synthetic biology; -We must not play God, -it is not natural and -we cannot foresee the consequences. Let us take a closer look and try to find out whether or not they have any substantial weight. IThis will be played out as a dialectic dialog. Dialectic is the philosophical discipline, fathered by Socrates, where understanding and agreement comes through dialogue, not through analyzing syntax, semantics or theoretical systems.
Why not ignore any arguments? When people use the “God” argument, the biggest mistake is to right it of as medieval and out of touch with the modern world. If one is interested in being taken serious, one must also take all others serious. In a proper debate, which involves solving ethical issues, every single argument made by capable persons who are to be influenced by the outcome of the decision, must be taken serious.
You will find this ethical approach in Jürgen Habermas' discourse ethics.
Reference:
Jürgen Habermas, Diskurs Etik. Publisher: Det Lille Forlag, 1. edition, published 02.09.1998.
ISBN-13: 9788790030445
First argument "We must not play God"
Two friends meet in a coffee shop.
“So, what are you doing these days?”
“I am involved in an international competition called iGEM”
“Really. Wow. What is it?”
“Well, we will try to make a GMO that solves certain problems.”
“GMO!?. I don’t like the sound of that. I don’t think that’s none of our business playing God”
“Playing God? How do you mean?”´
“You are making organisms that God didn’t intend. God is the only creator.”
“Well. Do we agree that God created man in his picture?”
“Yes”
“So, God created man precisely as man should be?”
“Yes”
“Do you believe that the almighty God gave man two arms, two legs, and two eyes without the intention that man should use these in every way possible?”
“Of course not. God made our bodies the way they are so that we can run, built, and scout for food or danger”
“I agree. Now imagine this; A man suddenly finds himself stuck in a tree. A hungry bear with cubs is circling beneath. From my perspective God has two options here; Letting the man die or in some way save him. Do you agree?”
“Yes”
“And do we agree that whatever happens, it is Gods will?”
“We most certainly do”
“So, if the man in the tree figures a way to produce a spear-like object from a branch and kills the bear, it is Gods will?”
“Very much so”
“So, we agree that every single happening on the face of earth is the will of God?.”
“I am certain of this”
“Then you must also see that when you say that I am doing wrong when I produce a GMO, you are actually saying that Gods will is illegitimate. You are in fact saying that God acts wrongfully. Do we agree on this?”
“I guess so”.
“So, my friend, can you see that your argument is faulted?”
“Yes”
Second argument "It is unnatural"
“Why do you oppose the making of Gmos"
“It is unnatural”
“In what way do you mean?”
“I mean it is unnatural because we make stuff in a laboratory that nature cannot”
“So, because GMOs are not created by evolution but human interference, you oppose it?”
“Yes, I do”
“Do you think that humans can exist without interfering with nature?”
“No. But there is a difference between doing what is needed to survive and what is possible”
“So, what is needed for man to survive is okay, but the progress of science due to curiosity is not?”
“Yes, exactly”
“Then please tell me; are we to revoke penicillin and lifesaving medication?”
“Of course not.”
“Are we to de-evolve back to the stone ages?”
“Don’t be foolish”
“Then what do you mean?”
“There is just something that feels wrong when it comes to GMO”
“Your feelings are highly justified, but they cannot count as an argument, can they?”
“No”
“So, you admit that arguing against GMO with the statement that it is unnatural is faulted?”
“Yes”
Third Argument "We cannot foresee the consequences"
“In what way do you oppose to GMOs?”
“We don’t have a clue about the consequences”
“You are right, we don’t. But if we were to avoid actions where the consequences is unknown, then there is very little left for us to do”
“What do you mean?”
“A consequence is in causal relation to an action, right?”
“Right”
“We define a consequence as something that happens as a result of an action, and that we can trace the consequence back to the action. Do we agree?”
“We do”
“But does this mean that the only consequences that exists are the ones that we experience? It seems to me that this approach is blocked by commonsense. Imagining that the existence consequences of my actions are limited to my conscience. This implies that if I was to drop a bucket of stones from a rooftop and it was to hit and kill a person, then it wouldn’t happen if I were never confronted with it. This is absurd, don’t you think?”
“Indeed”
“So, the reality and variety of the consequences of my actions doesn’t depend on me experiencing it, right?”
“Right”
“Then you must agree that it is quite possible that there is a unfathomable amount of consequences of even the most anonymous action. Yes?”
“It is possible, yes”
“And this thesis, that we both agree on, is of course regarding all actions, right?”
“Right”
“The only consequence we can affirm, as being the direct result of an action are the one with an apparently immediate beginning and end, both spatial and temporal. And this leads back to my argument that if we were to do only the things of which we know the consequences, it will leave us paralyzed. Agree?”
“Yes”
“And does it also mean that not knowing the consequences doesn’t mean that a certain action should not be carried out?”
“That makes sense”
“Therefore, my friend, it is only human not to know all the consequences of ones actions, but it is not an argument against GMO.”
This dialog shows that the most common arguments against GMOs can be refuted. In ethics, believe it or not, what is right and what is wrong always comes down to the art of rhetoric. Beside the overall GMO discussion there is also the discussion concerning animal use in synthetic biology (see Animal Ethics).
We did some fieldwork and visited a department at Odense University Hospital where antibodies are made. And what makes the ethical discussion even harder is that the conditions under which laboratory animals are kept are much better than the conditions that animals for consumption have. When thinking of laboratory animals and animal consumption one cannot help but to think that we see these living creatures as tools. Fortunately, this view is changing. And hopefully one day we will treat these beings with the respect they deserve.