I seem to gravitate towards books on cloning- there's something about it that appeals to me I guess. Lately especially I've been thinking- what are our views on cloning? As a society and as book readers? Are we okay with it under some circumstances- or should it be outlawed altogether? The old saying goes that just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. So... cloning yea or nay?
I love reading about cloning and all the ethical dilemmas it presents. Below I'll list a few books that have captivated me lately, but one in particular inspired this post. Golden City is a graphic novel from Europe and one of the plot points is cloning as a means of organ harvesting. The protagonists' mother commissioned a secret lab where clones of her son would be raised, to be used for harvesting if her son ever became ill. She later changed her mind but an unscrupulous scientist continued the program, instead of aborting the cloned baby as ordered.
If that sounds pretty monstrous, well, it is. The question I have though is- would any of us do that under certain conditions? Would we clone our children in order to maybe save their life later? Would that be murdering the clone to do so? Seems pretty cut and dried- the answer I think is yes- but I can totally see this happening. Are there any cases where you'd consider it? Does it matter if the clone is aware as opposed to just being basically a body bank?
And what if you didn't have to kill it? What if you just want another version of Emma or Johnny? Or a back- up body for yourself? Even more out there- let's say you can transfer consciousness someday to a new body. This one wears out, but you have clones on back-up. If you could be essentially long- lived or immortal through cloning, would you?
Okay discuss away. Meanwhile here are some recent books with cloning that have piqued my interests.
It is definitely an interesting topic with loads of storylines. And of course, in a world of doppelgangers well, who know what might happen. Some great titles you have here.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are having a great week and a wonderful 4th weekend!
Caitlin&Megan
Ivy&Ellie
Carefully Listening
Ellie
The Book Group
Holly&Stevie
Cherry Blossoms
Better Off Unsaid
There are too many mindfields when it comes to the ethics of cloning someone for me to ever be for it, but boy is cloning fun to read about.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fascinating to read about, and to ponder, but in reality... it opens up so many ethical questions that it sounds like a Pandora's Box.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever read a book on cloning, to be honest! But as an ethical dilemma in real-life, I think it's interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think reading about cloning is cool (I enjoy it too), but I don't even want to touch the reality of cloning, at least when it comes to people. Would my life be a teensy bit better/easier/delightful with a clone? Yes. Yes it would lol
ReplyDeleteI think reading about cloning is fun. I've read a couple of books. I also like when tv shows or movies explore cloning too. They make for some fun stories.
ReplyDeleteAs far as reality, though, I don't like it. I think there's too much that could go wrong. Also, I don't think it's impossible to clone humans, according to my religious beliefs. We may be able to create a replica of someone's body, but I believe only God can fill the body with our spirits.
Type: I don't think it's POSSIBLE not impossible.
DeleteI like to read about it. And I believe that eventually it will happen more and more.
ReplyDeleteI was unsettled when they cloned that sheep. I cannot imagine cloning people. Scary.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of cloning simply for organ harvesting purposes doesn't sit well with me, but then when you add a personal connection, like for your own child, it really does make you think twice!
ReplyDeleteI have identical twin boys, so they are natural clones. They are so very different that I feel clones would still be very unique individuals. My issues would be in the reasoning behind the cloning and the ethics involved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Louise in that clones are absolutely not going to be the same person. Like identical twins show us, you can have the exact same DNA, but be very different people. So I feel like you really couldn't clone to reanimate anyone, because it simply doesn't work like that. I also think that cloning organs (or whole bodies ) is harder than say, printing them would be? I feel like organ printing will be a thing sooner than later, and while I have no idea how printing a whole body would work, but it's fascinating. You should try Mickey7, it deals with the whole idea of multiple iterations of people- specifically, Mickey, in this case, and how they handled that.
ReplyDeleteSo I mean, I guess cloning a person, in theory, isn't much different than "boutique babies" as a concept- you're just replicating DNA. It gets much more messy when you start using them for parts though- that seems, unequivocally, not okay. I also really want to read Golden City now! (You should also give The Echo Wife a go, if looking for more cloning questions books!)
Ooof good question! It's hard to imagine clones are not being autonomous. I'd certainly view a clone as entitled to the same basic human rights as the original specimen. But I can see clones being grown, for instance, in order to harvest working organs that will be adopted more easily by your body for transplant surgeries. Which then presents an ethical dilemma- do you have the right to own your clone? And then, how do we solve overpopulation and low resources, if we're increasing the population with clones? Hrm...
ReplyDeleteI say no to cloning of humans, but there are two or three special pets I wouldn't mind having again. 😯
ReplyDeleteIdentical twins have the same DNA. I would say cloning would be like having a twin. Then again why would everyone want to have a twin?
ReplyDeleteCloning people definitely gets into very murky territory. And, yeah, the idea of using them for body parts? Yikes! I could almost see it happening though, especially if they could somehow create a clone with no consciousness. Some people might actually be okay with that, I suppose (considering all the other weird things we're okay with).
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