The Value of Science Socratic Seminar

Response:

I thought this article was very interesting. There were a lot of concepts that were brought up that I found intriguing. The first was the idea of science being an intellectual enjoyment. The author brings up the point that some people get this enjoyment from learning and thinking, while some get it from physically working on something. Scientists get it from working and analyzing. They arrange things so that people can enjoy them. Another concept that interested me was the idea of science being a completely unsure thing. As well all know, nothing in science is for certain, and this is un-nerving for some people. A lot of people find the idea of something being not completely sure is relatively scary, and is not to be believed. Scientists are used to this kind of uncertainty, while others find the concept of living without knowing impossible and uncomfortable. The final idea that the author presents is the idea that both good and evil can be taught, but not through science. Education can teach good and bad, but regardless of the nature of the science, whether it be applied or otherwise, cannot teach good or bad. Science simply researches things that may be good or bad. The article is summed up by the underlying theme of not knowing, and accepting that not knowing is good. Doubt should be welcomed, and not feared by people.

Definitions:

Values: a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.

Ignorance: lack of knowledge or information.

Responsibility: the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.

Questions:

1. Is science morally neutral? Why, or why not?

2. Can you teach good or bad?

3. Is doubt welcomed or feared in society? Do you personally welcome it, or fear it?

Oryx and Crake - Ethics

Ethics is always a huge part of any society. Everyone also has a different view on ethics. In dystopian literature, and especially in Oryx and Crake, ethics is an extremely complicated issue. Because of the development of the society into what it is in the world that Jimmy describes, the divide between what people think is ethical is quite diverse for many reasons. The most prominent of these reasons is the ethics of human engineering and human development.

In Oryx and Crake, Jimmy’s dad works for companies that use ‘pigoons’ to try and grow organs that can be easily transplanted into a human body, and not be rejected. Another project that Jimmy’s dad works on is a project that is trying to create brain tissue, so that human brain’s can be reconstructed. Most of society thinks that this kind of research is very valuable and that it will help society progress into a utopia where there is no mutation or ailment. However, some people, like Jimmy’s mother, think that this research is ethically wrong, and that you should not be allowed to alter human beings and go against nature to create a perfect world.

As for the post apocalypse world in which Snowman lives in, we do not really know of any ethics that exist there. We know that the Children of Crake and Oryx are perfect humans who are immune to disease and perfectly proportioned. Because everyone is equal, there is not really an issue with ethics, because everyone has been made exactly the same. They know the same things, they see the same things, and they are in the same physical condition. It seems as if Snowman is the only person from the “past” left, and because of his relationships with Crake and Oryx before the apocalypse, he is allowed to continue living.

http://cache.io9.com/assets/resources/2008/02/FalloutCarrier.jpg

I chose this picture because I think that it represents what the post-apocalyptic world would look like. In Oryx and Crake it represents the old compounds and cities that were destroyed, completely barren, with no signs of life. This would be the kind of place that Snowman would go to try and find food and any sort of resources left.  

Wordle Notes

Response 4

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