View source for Essay !8 - How to use scientific knowledge? ( With regard to the book Frankenstein ) Code : KSI0008

<p>How to use scientific knowledge? With regard to the book Frankenstein.&nbsp;</p>

<p>UNIST BIO Junior 20141110 Sangin Kim</p>

<p>2016. 10.19 (Wed)</p>

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<p><strong>Frankenstein raised two issues about the usage way of scientific knowledge which are still relevant today. One is too much scientific knowledge is danger and the other is science benefits mankind. Before setting my position, I wish to think about why mankind pursues scientific knowledge. I think the fundamental objective of mankind pursuing scientific knowledge is perhaps humanity&#39;s development in a positive way. From this perspective, my position is close to &lsquo;science benefits mankind&rsquo;. The reasons can categorize largely into two. First, I think that unexpected side effects of scientific knowledge such as nuclear weapons and environmental problems are a problem of humanity&rsquo;s &lsquo;choice&#39; on how to use scientific knowledge. Inhibiting scientific development by worrying only about the side effects is obviously an error. Second, I think we should preserve and develop such kind of scientific knowledge and hand it down to the next generation. It&rsquo;s not an exaggeration to say that we are living in a science-based world and science is pervasive in human society. To sum up, science is too important thing to mankind and there&rsquo;s no inherent danger in scientific research. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>We could ask such kind of scientific knowledge can be researched without any regulation to satisfy mankind&rsquo;s desire? To what extent is that a fair line? Actually, I think that all the scientific knowledge should be studied and developed to suit its purpose, and if some research is to be expected contrary to its purpose it must be strongly regulated. We can think about this from two perspectives. One is the ethical problem and the other is the possibility of unexpected results. Current scientific field strongly inhibits experiments which utilize the human embryo or nuclear test because of the ethical problem which is related to the dignity of humans and the possibility of unexpected results like Dr. Frankenstein&rsquo;s monster. For instance, Dr. Frankenstein&rsquo;s monster was a kind of unintended scientific result. Also, in fact, there are genetically modified organisms (GMO) produced in the laboratory also, it&rsquo;s actively reported that they are disturbing the ecosystem.</strong><strong> If these kinds of experiments are permitted indiscriminately, it can threaten ecosystems, including human beings at any time and if severe, it could be down to extinction of some species. Therefore, in my opinion, studies that are likely to disturb the positive development of humanity, ethical problem of human dignity and relating to the existence of species should be thoroughly regulated.</strong></p>

<p><strong>With regard to ethical problem, we could ask ourselves that would we create the artificial like creature if we were Dr. Frankenstein. My answer may vary depending on one&rsquo;s point of view. If we assume that dealt with this issue from the point of view of animal experiments and possibilities, my answer would be &lsquo;Yes&rsquo;. In my opinion, modern science is evolving more rapidly than we think and lots of things have already been developed. For example, we can easily manipulate genes with the gene scissor known as CRISPR/Cas9. With combination of such kind of technology, we can easily make mutant organism, and that&rsquo;s exactly what I am doing in our laboratory by using zebrafish as a model organism. The actual objective of our laboratory is to study aging or diseases such as cancer by manipulating genes related to DNA repair. However, if we manipulate lots of genes simultaneously, we are completely unable to predict which type of mutant would be born. However, from the point of view of human beings, my answer would be absolutely not. Of course, even though I&rsquo;m curious about the results, but it must be limited to the curiosity and interest. We never create the dignity of a human being through science.</strong></p>