We-Perspectives
❑ In 1973, scientists succeeded in separating and
redesigning elementary components of a genome,
an organism’s complete set of DNA containing all
information needed to understand an organism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEJp7B6u_dY
❑ In 1978, genetic Engineering began In Vitro
Fertilization (IVF) in which implantation of
woman's egg to a man's sperm occurs in a
laboratory dish.
❑ Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
emerged which is a procedural genetic
screening vital in identifying genetic defects
within the embryos.
❑ Parents/mothers could now prevent certain genetic
diseases or disorders to be passed on to the child.
▪ If found deficient, the embryo screened in the test-tube
will not be implanted in the mother, thus sparing her an
abortion at a later stage as a result of prenatal diagnosis
or PGD.
❑ Thus, PGD has introduced the most effective way of
curing human diseases through preventive system.
❑ When PGD was introduced to the public, medical
scientific research group, pharmaceutical business
investors, and politicians hypothesize on furthering
its development for the benefits of the society.
❑ First, PGD could be used to prevent unhealthy
babies and endangering the mother’s life.
❑ Second, PGD could also be used for gender
selection.
❑ And third, in the near future, it could also be used
for “human-breeding” by correcting the genome
through manipulation which would ensure
physically healthier and mentally intelligent citizens
of the society.
❑ Thus,from simple diagnosis, PGD could later do
genes manipulation to secure the future of the
society by having “better humans”.
❑ Habermas argument:
❖ 1. In terms of decision-making, who
decides? Is it the technician, the
medical experts, or the mother?
o Are they free to simply dispose human life for
the purpose of selection?
o Are they free to “play God” in choosing who is
worthy or not?
❑ Habermas goes further:
❖ 2. In terms of the life of the “future
individuals,”
❖ PGD molds the ‘not-yet person’ to a specific
life-project restricting, therefore, the individual’s
freedom to choose a life of his own
▪ in terms of career’s choice;
▪ in terms of dispositions, acting and behaving;
▪ In terms of decision-making.
❖ How can a ‘manufactured’ person say that
every decision he/she makes is a result of his
own rational decisions and willful choice?
o Every “manufactured individuals” could only be acting according to
the programmer’s design and not according to his choice.
❖ In
other words, the future individuals are
deprived of their inherent right to be the sole
author of their own life as they were simply
acting as “living robots”.
The need to be the Voice of the Voiceless
❑ Habermas argues that people should give up the “I-
perspective”; “my body - my right”, or “my baby - my
right”, “my life – my right” view and give-in to the
inherent autonomy of the “future individuals”.
❑ He calls for an intersubjectively shared “we-
perspective” of the people of today with the people
of tomorrow by recognizing what will be their feelings
and thinking when they realized that they are not
actually natural but “manufactured”.
❑ For the “we-perspective” to occur, Habermas believes
that communicative discourse should be
implemented in which every moral persons act and
judge as “voice of the voiceless”.
Counter argument: Film Breakthrough
GE 8 : General Ethics / Silliman University
