Blog #5: The “Other” and Gattaca

       Genetic engineering is used to enhance or change ones genetic traits to create a better vision of what is being genetically changed. This practice of trying to perfect one’s genes can be both good and bad since a person that is born and has undergone genetic engineering before birth is likely to perform better life’s task but can be overly perfected to the point whereas they may feel like they may see themselves as better than everyone else.

       In the movie Gattica a boy named Anton was genetically enhanced before birth due to the imperfect birth of Vincent who had a life expectancy of about age 30. Due to Anton’ perfections Vincent was looked as weak by his entire family including genetically enhanced Anton. The boys liked to have swimming competitions to test each other’s stamina. At first Anton won every race until Vincent one day became suicidal because he realized his limitations in life and he felt he didn’t deserve to live and Anton and Vincent had another race and since Vincent secretly gave up on life he decided to go past his limit not thinking of his disabilities and with intentions of killing himself. Anton however noticed his limit and decided not to push himself further and almost drowned until Vincent saved his life. In doing so Vincent discovered and realized his hidden potential.

         According to George j. Annas genetic engineering can be both good and bad he believes that either humans will try to over throw the new and improved humans or the new human will try to eliminate the regular humans to create a new civilization for themselves. This may be true since According to George people believe that genetic engineering being done on people violates people’s rights as human beings. According to George in 1946-1947 the Nazis doctors conducted experiments so painful that death was inevitable if you were a test subject. After World War 1the Nazis were put to trail for their war crimes. Some were sentenced to death some received life in prison for their crimes. The Nazis ran concentration camps full of mostly Jews and tortured and experimented on them. The Nazis viewed the Jews as a sub human race and tried to commit genocide to extinguish them all.

       Genetic engineering would not only be used for the better but was also used to torture. The person who is genetically enhanced like in “Gattica” Anton feels as if he is better than Vincent so he shows off his strength. In the man on the moon genetic engineering is not very liked by the people and they feel it violates human rights.   

Blog 4: Ignorance, Bliss, and Knowledge in Oedipus the King and The Matrix.

It is important to seek the unknown   but Sometimes asking questions about what should be hidden can lead a person to answers they don’t want to know. When people ask questions about the unknown they are not always prepared for the truth. For example when Oedipus discovers the truth about his identity and is past. Another example is “The Matrix” when Neo meets Morpheus after longing to find the truth about reality.

       In the play “Oedipus the king” Oedipus was born in the city of Thebes but his father tries to murder him due to a prophecy foretold to him by the gods. Oedipus was saved by a merchant who found him and he was brought to Corinth a new kingdom where he had been raised. During Oedipus’s teenage years he attended a party where a drunken man told him he was adopted. Out of curiosity Oedipus went to Delphi where he learned of his terrible destiny of killing his father and sleeping with his mother. Oedipus tries to escape this misfortune by running away from Corinth and blindly returning to his old home town where he was born Thebes. On his was there he blindly kills king Laius king of Thebes and the true father of Oedipus. Once he became the new king of Thebes he met a woman named Jocasta who was his mother who he married and had children with. Once Jocasta realized that Oedipus was her son she tried to keep Oedipus from the truth. Due to Oedipus’s curiosity he persued the truth anyway.Once he found out about the truth he could not believe what he discovered.As a result he stabbed his eyes and banished himself from Thebes. Since Oedipus asked the gods who his parents were he learned about his terrible fate. Had he ignored the prophecy and lived his life in Corinth he may have dodged the prophecy.
      
         In the movie "The Matrix" man named Neo questioned his current reality but is not prepared to meet with the actual reality that is actually a destroyed wasteland. Neo meets a man named Morpheus who teaches Neo about the real world.Morpheus and Neo must Fight against Machines and end slavery by the machines.Neo meet the real world and is given the option to stay is reality or return to the matrix. After seeing what reality truly is he decided he wants to return to the matrix since its what he was used to. When Neo saw what reality truly was he was surprised. since Neo constantly asked about the distant reality he eventually got what he wished for only to want to return to the matrix.
     
           "Curiosity killed the cat" When you ask a question about something it is important to be prepared for the results. Sometimes it is better to not know and easier to deal with rather than hear the truth and not understand it like in Oedipus or the Matrix. Some information is better hidden than shared "Ignorance is bliss".


     




  

Blog 2: The Allegory of The Cave through History

The Allegory of the cave is about how we have to use our senses to keep in touch with our reality in whats in it.
we use our senses to create beliefs.An example of this belief would be religion. The Christianity belief is believed to be somewhat one tracked. People who follow into this belief to the fullest often tend to live their lives as if they were robots and the bible is their manual. Religious believers tend to think religion is the answer to all their problems and that just praying will help elevate some of their issue. Some religious believers take high offense to some telling them that their is more to life than religion. Due to religious beliefs people are trapped in a world where religion is everything and nothing else seems makes sense to them. Just like in Allegory of the cave christianity belief in itself is a cave in which reality is viewed from one point of view and if you tried to change their point of view they would deny it because they are set in their ways and will always believe their way is the best way of living.