Human Enhancements and the Race for Space Exploration - Essay Example

? Human Enhancements and the Race for Space Exploration Research Proposal Technology and innovation both move at a very rapid pace. Human enhancements and space exploration are an emerging topic of great interest in applied ethics. Knowledge is emerging that might change significantly the human condition in the not too far off future. Enhancements are usually connected to some type of therapy which aims to fix something that has gone wrong. On the other hand space exploration has led to the development of human intelligence inorder to manage and efficiently explore the outer space. It is for this reason that political rivalries such as the Soviet Union and the United States focused all their strengths and intelligence to show off the world about their capability enhancements on the other hand has improved especially in the medical sector. It is unclear how to classify enhancements that reduce disease and death and the arena of medicine has many practices that do not cure diseases or injuries such as preventative medicine, palliative, plastic surgery, obstetrics, fertility or cosmetic dental treatments (Roache, 1997). Can space exploration and human enhancements change the face of humanity as we now know it? [This is the first time you’ve mentioned space exploration. Before you launch into your questions, you need to introduce this thought and connect it more directly to human enhancements. This is confusing.]What enhancements have the possibility of changing the way we live on a day to day basis? Will these enhancements have a significant impact on American families? Scientists are working on amazing technology such as mapping the human genome, three billion chemical letters, centered around one minute molecule; human DNA. The possibility of understanding disease and the mechanism through which genes are transmitted through generations has scientists constantly working on this code as though it was a multi-million dollar sweepstakes and in a way, it is much more important than any quantifiable sum. [This is a very vivid, fanciful sentence that grabbed my attention. Good job!] Modern day marvels such as Viagra, Botox, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors leave scientists posing the questions,’ will there soon be a major difference between the enhanced human being and the unenhanced human being. Is this a recipe for conflict and disaster or human and race improvements? Primitive forms of enhancement such as steroids came about with minimal changes to the race though major enhancements such as robotic surgery, Nano-technology and stem cell research promise to make much bigger splashes in the pool of humanity. Microchip technology, robots used in manufacturing, military and police organizations continue to perform amazing technological feats. Household chores will become much easier and being able to afford such a domestic privilege in the next ten to twenty years may be something that more and more people attempt. Global computers take advantage of billion-transistor chips and exponential changes have been unprecedented in recent history. The Department of Defense takes advantage of robotic technology, modern medicine and therapy also take advantage of robotic technology, are these magnificent creations soon to be available for every American and at what cost or sacrifice will they bring to the American family as we know it? Mega giants such as NASA continue to develop sustainability technology for the troubled earth but one must wonder whether this technology will develop quickly enough to make a substantial difference in the environment and the ozone. Space exploration has been placed on hold for the near foreseeable future but NASA still develops technology, much based on what has been discovered in prior space exploration. This paper attempts to examine these questions and explores the possibilities that exist in the world of human enhancements. Methodology A complete literature review will be done on human enhancements as they are now and what is projected in the future. In determining if these enhancements will be an overall positive trait for the human race the value that they provide and add to the lives of individuals must be weighed against the negative impacts that they may or may not have. Determining this will be based strongly on the facts available that are gathered from reputable sources and described in the annotated biography. Expected Outcome/ Results From preliminary information I expect that human enhancements and space exploration can only be a positive benefit for mankind. Advances in medicine will lead to increased life spans, space exploration and technology will allow human beings to sustain what we now have. However there are some downsides to these enhancement and exploration of space. Some of these include the ethical issues that arise from the enhancements especially in the medical sector. Some of this enhancement such as cloning has led to a lot of ethical issues that are raised all through the world. During the cold war, the Soviet Union and the United States took space exploration as one of their battlefield to show who could design the best as a result; several issues arose from this thereby bringing about some of the downsides of space exploration. [What about ethical issues? You bring these up in the beginning, but you don’t talk about them in specific. Surely, there are some concerns that you would be best to acknowledge. Then, you can articulate the relationship between the benefits and downsides.] Literature Review Inventing Our Evolution Invention and evolution has continued to change, some advancements changing what it means to be human. One amazing technological innovation made available to twenty-five year old Mathew Nagel, allows the paralyzed youth to operate a robotic contraction through the use of thought. In a wheelchair after sustaining a spinal cord injury it is hoped that one day technology will allow him to walk again (Garreau).Memory enhancing drugs that are being developed promise to be bigger than Viagra improving SAT scores and decreasing senior moments. The Defense Science’s Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are working on a pharmaceutical to modify a Soldier’s metabolism allowing them to function more efficiently for longer periods of time without nutrients or food. A second program strives to allow soldiers to control bleeding with thoughts alone. Human enhancements has been available for years in the sports world, athletes taking advantage of illegal steroids become super-muscled. This in turn makes them perform extraordinarily in their field. An example is the use of steroids by wrestlers to make their body parts huge and to give them extra energy to participate in the wrestling competition. [The topic sentence and the example don’t match here. One single idea must drive each paragraph.] The complexity of minimum cost semi-conductor components has doubled every year since the prototype was developed and this is likely to continue , and it is now predicted that information technology will double every eighteen months. Rules on human experimentation keep the process of drug improvement slow and clinical trials on humans are not lawful except under very strict and controlled circumstances. If these restrictions were reduced to allow clinical trials in third world countries drug improvement would be sped up considerably. Computer breakthroughs also lead to biological improvements, IBM recently invented an new computer, Blue Gene/L, that seeks to determine how protein folds. Because even the smallest changes in protein can lead to disease and being able to analyze the body’s proteins can one day allow a Physician to diagnose and prescribe based on information about your body’s tissue that is computer generated. Those attracted to new enhancements are those who are sick, with a critical need or entrepreneurs. Provigil, originally a narcoleptic drug was tested in army helicopter pilots and was found to allow pilots stay up safely, remain focused, and concentrate for two full days without sleep. Will this medication and similar drug enhancements be used by the general public to remain competitive, or change how society functions, keeping the unenhanced individual somewhat lagging behind those taking advantage of human enhancements? Decoding the human genome and/or using artificial chromosomes are tricky because it’s impossible to know what a new combination will result in. Some bioethicists suggest that genetic line engineering should be unconditionally banned, foreseeing the possibility that future generations could be harmed by wrongful modification’s (Garreau). James Mclurkin James Mclurkin, a robotic engineer, seeks to create a way to program thousands of robots at once to work together and at 20 created the world’s smallest self-contained autonomous robots (Mclurkin). Robotic technology is used in the industrial manufacturing, military and police organizations, exploring the depths of space and performing common household tasks. A representative from IRobot, Brooks, predicts that the next thirty years there will be a transformation from the use of industrial robots to more personalized robots designed for use by the general public and ordinary individual. IRobot markets robots that are used as floor cleaners and Joanne Pransky hopes that in the next twenty years a robot will be able to complete household chores, monitor vital signs and prepare and serve meals (Ford). Bio-robotic technology advances already play a huge role in medicine and their use has a great impact on health care, especially in micro surgery where surgeons are assisted by robotics in very delicate and important procedures. Some estimate that robots will soon have the ability to perform better than human beings. The future economy is considered the care economy, dominated by caring skills, interpersonal skills, and emotional skills. The effect that robots may have on the economy are numerous, taxes will be paid by fully automated businesses run by robots and social security will have to be expanded and human beings will begin dealing with excess leisure time. Human involvement will still be necessary since it is impossible for a robot to gain the conscious of a human. [This is a good section.] A Moral Challenge to Human Genetic Enhancement Research Advocates and opponents list a variety of complex traits that are attractive for those who would wish to attract to amplify and improve. Those in the midst of the debate for or against these enhancements will one day be made available. Many fail to consider the implications and intrinsic consequences to participants in this type of research. Experimental animals require irreversible alterations, especially in those whom enhancement technology has been successfully tested (Rosoff, 2011, p611). It has hypothetically been suggested that alterations to these animals could have profound moral ramifications. Many in the debate stress the difference between animal testing or genetic engineering to cure disease and that done with the goal of enhancing specific behaviors or traits in individuals. Genetic Enhancement One example of this would be the use of human growth hormone in individuals of short stature; used in those with and without HGH deficiency’s. Though this is a pharmacological enhancement it is an enhancement none the less. Other traits are considered so valuable that their enhancement would be of great value to society; principle among those traits would be intelligence. Though they exact mechanisms of intelligence are not known it is agreed that some people have more than others and are able to reach a greater degree of aptitude. It is known that infants born into families with more intelligent parents are likely to have and demonstrate greater abilities and intellectual intelligence (Mari, 1999). Should Human Beings Have Sex? As our power to modify the human body increases the controversy over how we should use this power also increases. Prospective parents now have the option and possibility to select favorable traits as well as the sex of their child before becoming pregnant. Steroids, cosmetic surgery, contraception’s, vaccinations and human growth hormones are all innovations that have been used to make people ‘better than well.’ Now the question of what implications are there in choosing the sex of a child in advance. Over the course of a lifetime the sex of a child will exert a greater influence on the welfare of the child both as a child, an adolescent, and an adult (Michener, 1982). The distinction between reduced opportunities because of social causes and those that are related to biological causes require us to identify a set of normal capacities that can be determined independently of social context. If our main concern is for the child then of course we should consider environmental factors as much as the child’s future genetics (Sparrow, 2010, p5). It should also be noted that aside from basic health care women have longer lifespans, and some of the most life altering experiences are centered on childbirth and child rearing and these experiences are for the most part women exclusive. Ethics and Human Enhancement Ray Kurzweil is the inventor of the first reading machine which he then redesigned to be entirely hand held. Microsoft’s’ Bill Gates predicted Kurzweil to be the best in the world at predicting the future of technology (Severson, 2010). Kurzweil suggests that we are going to become a hybrid of machine and our biological heritage. Robotic red blood cells will augment our immune system. Destroy diseases and increase life expectancy. In Kurzweil’s book, ‘The Singularity is Near,’ Kurzweil predicts that by the year 2050 artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence creating a hybrid of human and technology. He is predicting that the world will be entirely different and we will have machines that will seem as real and as conscious as any human being. It is human nature for man to seek to overcome shortcomings and to utilize technology to minimize human limitations (Amstrong, 2006).[Is this his claim or yours? If his, you should cite it.] His predictions are based on what he describes as the exponential growth of artificial intelligence in genetics, robotics and nanotechnology. Neuroscience has advanced to where we now have 75,000 Parkinson’s disease patients worldwide with tiny electrodes implanted in their brains, thus reducing tremors and the need for medications. One bioethicist worries that science may cross the line when it comes to brain implants and will not only heal but enhance an individual’s ability to think and compete. When high technology is only affordable by the rich they are much less effective. Take the cell phone for example’ fifteen years ago they were considered a luxury item and now 5-6 billion people carry one and their technology continues to expand with demand. Kurzweil himself is so determined to live ‘forever’ that he takes over that he takes as many as 200 supplements a day in order to reverse both his diabetes and aging. Though he is 62 years old he has the mind and body of a 40 year old (Annas, 1992). Space X No Stranger to Launch Day Rocket Launches A privately built rocket was planned to be launched by a California based company, Space X. The unmanned Falcon9 rocket aborted its launch due to an unexpectedly high pressure reading. Space X has a 1.6 billion dollar contract to provide 12 dragon capsule cargo flights to the NASA space station with the canceled mission intending to prove the abilities of the space capsules. Because NASA’s space shuttle fleet retired the agency is depending on Space X and other commercial spaceship builders to fill the void. President Obama approves of this new policy and views this as a way to boost the commercial spaceflight industry. Companies are also discussing the possibility of offering incredible space flight ‘rides’ to researchers as well as tourists with ‘deep pockets’ (sagan, 1994). The top commercial space flight companies include Space Exploration Technologies, Orbital Sciences, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation. Bigelow Aerospace has goals of building affordable habitats in space. Two prototype capsules have been launched already and plans are in motion already to place a more expansive space station by 2015 (MSNBC, 2012). Benefits of Mapping the Human Genome Mapping of the human genome was considered a major milestone in medicine though the benefits are financially out of reach for the average consumer. Caliper Life Sciences Executive Kevin Hrusovsky projects that the costs will come down below $1000 per genome, compared to the current $10,000 to $20,000 (Fuscaldo, 2011). Genome mapping has the possibility of changing the way is practiced and health care will become predictive care rather than sick care. Genome sequencing allows scientists to isolate the DNA of individuals and identify different codes; scientists can then pinpoint common DNA letter codes which can act as predictors of conditions such as cancer and heart disease. The idea behind the theory is discovering what letter might represent the on start of a disease. Sequencing each person’s genome would be beneficial in preventing a variety of health ailments, possibly even obesity. Combining genome sequencing with diagnostics can also help to determine the reaction of a patient to a specific drug leading to new drugs which work much better. This technology also has the possibility of expanding the human life span expectancy from the current age of 77. Though this technology is not currently covered by insurance companies there is an increasing amount of carriers that cover some genetic testing. Conclusion Should these robots be allowed to make decisions such as the application of force or decisions which affect human life? Is it a positive for a robot to become our natural successors’? Where do we draw the line at technology and decide that we have tested our boundaries enough? It is difficult to determine exactly where we should draw the line. If it is possible to improve ourselves in any way what reasons exist for us resist this possibility? Anything that is possible for us to enhance our abilities and functions without causing harm to other individuals should be a possibility. Bio robotic technology shows great promise is improving medicine and also being applied in other technologies. The use of this technology in manufacturing, safety, space exploration and the military would be much safer then risking human life’s in the testing or application of many tasks which would be dangerous or impossible for the individual. I do not see any conflict in this type of technology though its application in medicine would need a great deal of evaluation before application. Animal testing in genetic research should be allowed; most medicine needs to be evaluated on a living creature in order to be applied in human beings. I don’t think that genetic enhancements should be used to increase intelligence or human ability, but I do think that technology should be applied in cases such as Alzheimer’s in order to preserve human function for as long as possible. This would benefit those with the most financial resources, allowing a select few to rule the world. Genetic enhancement making an individual smarter would also give way to the idea of creating enhanced populations or clutches of society more easily able to dominate normal populations. The predetermination of the sex of a child only leads to more advanced selections, such as other genetic traits as this technology also applies only to those who are able to afford it. This application gives a huge advantage to a population that is already advantaged economically. Though I originally felt that these enhancements could only benefit mankind I have found that most of these enhancements and possibilities currently apply only to the elite or wealthy. In twenty years this will still be the case in my opinion. All these enhancements have a lot of impact on any American family. It is now possible for a mother to know the sex of her child; it is possible for any American citizen to make a phone call. All these together with the above discussed enhancements, have a lot of influence on the life of an American family. [Make sure your conclusion refers back to what you will articulate in your thesis statement.] Please refer to http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/ for the proper format References (Literature Cited) - A list of works cited should consist primarily of the references from your annotated bibliography plus any additional references you used in your paper. It follows the final page of the text and is numbered. Importantly, all the resources in this list must have been used and cited in the paper. You must cite your sources correctly so that your academic integrity is not called into question. If you don't document, you could inadvertently be plagiarizing. You also need 10-15 references, of which at least 5 must be scholarly sources (i.e., journal articles, books). References 1. MSNBC. (2012, April). SpaceX No Stranger to Launch Day Rocket Glitches. Space On MSNBC.Com. Retrieved May 19, 2012, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47486243/ns/technology_and_science- space/#.T7fJT7JORRA 2. Fuscaldo, D. (2011, October 04). Benefits of Mapping the Human Genome. Fox Business. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/10/04/benefits- mapping-human-genome/ 3. Armstrong, M. (2006). A handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page 4. Annas, G. J., & Grodin, M. A. (1992). The Nazi doctors and the Nuremberg Code: Human rights in human experimentation. New York: Oxford University Press. 5. Mari, C. (2011). U.S. national debate topic 2011-2012: American space exploration and development. New York: H.W. Wilson Co. 6. Stott, C., & Gorton, S. (1997). Space exploration. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 7. Mari, C. (1999). Space exploration. New York: H.W. Wilson Co. 8. Sagan, C. (1994). Pale blue dot: A vision of the human future in space. New York: Random House. 9. Michener, J. A. (1982). Space. New York: Random House. 10. Savulescu, J., & Bostrom, N. (2009). Human enhancement. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 11. Ridley, M. (2003). Nature via nurture: Genes, experience, and what makes us human. New York, N.Y: HarperCollins. Read More