For Both Positive and Negative Engineering Term Paper

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Positive and Negative Engineering

Summary of "For Both Positive and Negative Engineering"

Are we justified in using genetic engineering to create one type of person over another? This is the complex question addressed by the author in the article. The two fundamental issues raised by positive engineering are whether we are justified in attempting to change human nature, and whether genetic engineering is an acceptable means of achieving this change. The author asks, since negative changes are made regarding genes and positive changes are made to environments, why positive changes should not be made at the genetic level. The author aimed to address the different sources and reasons for resistance to the idea of positive engineering, as well as to focus on the justifiable doubts to this concept.

One of the key reasons people may be resistant to the positive engineering is an objection to "playing God." Determining what characteristics humans should have could be viewed as something that should be left to the divine, out of the realm of human control.

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Others may have a resistance to messing with natural selection, in which humanity contains certain characteristics due to the promotion of genetic survival.

The author suggests that beyond the objections mentioned above, there is a general resistance to a limited and fallible group of people making such consequential decisions, and a general opposition to an extreme concentration of power.

The concept of the "genetic supermarket" challenges the idea that any type of centralized decision making must occur with regards to positive engineering. This type of system would cater to the genetic specifications of prospective parents. Allowing parents to choose characteristics for children would result in more variety than in a centrally controlled system. However the issue arises that some parental decisions would be disturbing. This would create changes that would be unfavourable. The author….....

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"For Both Positive And Negative Engineering", 06 November 2003, Accessed.22 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/both-positive-negative-engineering-155497