Blog # 5

In his essay “The Man on the Moon”, George J. Annas expresses his thoughts on genetic engineering. Annas writes that “The new ideal human, the genetically engineered ‘superior’ human, will almost certainly come to represent ‘the other.’ If history is a guide, either the normal humans will view the ‘better’ humans as the other and seek to control or destroy them, or vice versa”.  History, movies, and other literature seem to prove this theory true.

Although, society would like to think that altering our genetics would assist in ameliorating the human race, history has shown that the human species will always find another to be inferior.  The stronger will take over the weak, and each generation will try to gain more and more control. And as soon as one tries to defend themselves, they become an ‘other.’ As long as the human race survives, there will probably always be discrimination due to religion, ethnicity, gender, culture, disabilities, heritage, physical attributes, mental capabilities, and etcetera; leading to one community declaring another more “inferior” community as the ‘other’.  For example, slave trading. Slave trading was a non-molecular altering form of the ‘superior’ human taking control over the normal humans.  Thus, causing the inferior group or normal humans to counteract and seek to destroy them.

The film Gattaca is another example of how the so called ‘better human’ will always find a way to create discrimination. Even when one is genetically altered to perfection, if you cannot live up to a ‘superiors’ potential, you are put in a type of controlled environment where the ‘better humans’ believe see fit to you disabilities. Vincent, the protagonist of Gattaca, was genetically altered yet still born with a heart condition. He dreamed of going to space since he was a child, but unfortunately due to his impairment, his dreams cannot be fulfilled and the ‘superior beings’ take control of his life and tell him where to work.

Both slavery and Gattaca are examples of the “ideal human” taking over and controlling or destroying the normal humans.

Blog #3: The Matrix: Utopia, Dystopia, and Realities

Plato’s, “The Allegory of the Cave” and the 1999 film “The Matrix” are both metaphors of how the human race corresponds with reality. In “the Allegory of the Cave”, Socrates explains that we as humans, live in “a cave” and are blind to the realities life brings upon us.  He illustrates this by saying there are beings in a cave who are in chains, which hinder their ability to look towards the outside world. Socrates then says that if one were to escape, that one prisoner will be amazed of what they will see, and that knew found freedom known as  reality will be better than the illusory reality (the prisoners life in the cave).  However, in “The Matrix”, the beings were placed in a post-nuclear apocalyptic landscape where all of their kind was enslaved by machines. Beings who were still living in “the cave” believed to be living their lives before the helotry, and those who reality has been revealed to now must suffer with the reality that is a dystopia. When comparing both transactions from an illusion to reality, I believe that the film “The Matrix” has a more accurate outcome, than Plato’s writing “The Allegory of the Cave”.

                Throughout history people have been tucked away in “caves” because those who feel they are stronger want to protect those who are weak. They want to protect them from each other, to protect them from themselves, and to protect them from worry. Take the Government for example. If society knew the circumstances the government was put in and the choices they had to make, there would be riots in the street. And who knows what one will do when there is no order.  This is why the government keeps society in “a cave”- to keep them calm and organized.

                Parents tend to keep their young children “in caves” so their innocent minds will not be corrupted by our harsh reality.  Parents keep their young children away from the news and encourage imagination so that reality will not strike fear into the children and so they live a healthy, happy childhood. Only until they believe the child is ‘mature’ enough to handle such information to they allow them to explore bits and pieces of reality. And when one is finally ‘mature’ enough and freed from their “cave”, their innocence is ripped right from them. This is when they begin to learn life’s harsh lessons about lies and deceit, pain and suffering; yet another dystopia.

                Many movies and writings were written of “caves” and how people have turned away from the truth because of its disgusting nature.  For Example “The Giver” by Louis Lowery. This book is about an entire society kept hidden from the truth. And only one being in an entire lifetime knows the truth, and passes on the harsh knowings  to one he sees fit. The ‘passings’ are made through several years due to the pain it causes the new keeper. This is another example of a dystopia. And this is why I believe that the matrix has a more accurate outcome than Platos writing.

Blog 1: The Cave and I

At some point, everyone has fantasized of their favorite superhero coming to life. Flying over buildings and lifting cars with one hand. Saving the innocent and putting the bad guys in jail. But at the end of the day, even as children everyone knew it was all in their imagination. Everyone… except for me.

I was about five years old when I discovered the truth. How could anybody have missed it? It was so obvious! Unless… did they know? They couldn’t have…

You see, I was born into a family of Martial Arts. My Dad started Shotokan Karate when he was sixteen years old. As he progressed, he dabbled in other forms. Eventually he started running his own classes.