Preview

Gattaca

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
758 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gattaca
Searching for stem cell news on the internet reveals a never-ending amount of pages with web sites about breakthroughs in stem-cell research. Such articles included potential cures to diabetes, Parkinson's, leukemia, and various forms of cancer. This research could potentially lead to these terrible diseases' near end. In Andrew Niccol's Gattaca, a society is portrayed where there are no diseases due to advanced genetic engineering. This movie, based in the future, depicts couples that are able to basically hand-pick a perfect child. While modern technology has not evolved near as far as in Gattaca, stem-cell research is on the verge of creating a way to counter vicious diseases.

One development that seemed to relate to the movie is stem-cells being to treat new born babies who have Batten disease; a disease that creates for a lack of enzymes which "damages different parts of the brain and leads to seizures, blindness, loss of the ability to walk and speak and eventually death." While it is not a common disease, 1 in 100,000, this clinic's technological advancement could lead to preventing other fatal illnesses. Robert Steiner, head of
…show more content…
Rather than discriminating on basis of color, race, and religion, the impartiality has evolved in to discrimination of one's genetic coding. In theory, genetic discrimination could be advantageous to allow the "perfect" human beings to control the job marketplace for the highly-skilled careers. They are able to live a long, healthy, clean life with no concerns of imperfections in their body and are mentally equipped to succeed in what ever complex operations they pursue. On the other hand, humans' strengths are not based solely on their genetic compound; their strengths are entwined with their imperfections. This is comparable to the common belief that one learns from their mistakes and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gattaca

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages

    From the day Vincent was born, he had always been concidered as highly flawed, and as an 'invalid'. His parents were planning on carrying on the family name with their first born child by calling Vincent, Anton, after his father, Antonio. However, once finding out that Vincent was prone to illness' such as neurological disorder, manic depression, attention deficit disorder, heart failure, and was expected to live for only 30.2 years, Vincent's father felt that he wasn't worthy of the family name, and decided to call him Vincent Anton instead. Mother and Father, Maria and Antonio had a second child, who Antonio felt was worthy of the family name, because unlike Vincent who was conceived the natural way, Anton was born through genetic engineering. As the two boys grew up, Anton was always considered superior to Vincent as he was always upstaging him at everything they did. Until one day, when the two boys played a game of chicken. Like usual, Anton was expecting Vincent to turn around and swim back to shore. However, no matter how much effort he put into trying to beat his brother, Anton and Vincent were neck and neck the whole swim. Anton was confused at how Vincent still had the energy to swim, and finally Anton wasn't able to go on any longer and he gave up. Passing out and starting to drown, Vincent saved his brother's life. For the first time in their lives, Vincent was better than Anton at something. Even though everybody believed that he wasn't good enough to acheive his goals, Vincent now believed that he could achieve anything that he set his mind to. Vincent decided to run away from home and he got a job as a janitor at Gattaca. This was his first glimpse of Gattaca, and he liked what he saw.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Due to recent discoveries, stem cell research will have many future medical possibilities. A recent stem cell breakthrough shows that cloning human organs or body parts to treat patients with injured organs or limb deficiencies could be possible. “The cloning techniques can also be used to grow organs for patients with a failing liver or kidney.” Because the newly cloned organ will be genetically identical to the one being replaced, rather than a donated one, the chances of it being rejected will be very low. Ultimately, this opens up many possibilities of curing patients with injuries, amputations, and failing organs. Stem cell research also reveals the ability to cure diseases. “Researcher Dieter Egli said their work was inspired by the thought of being able to take stem cells from embryos and use them to treat and even cure diseases. Worn out hearts could be patched up, aged brains could be rejuvenated and diabetics could be freed from the need to take insulin, all thanks to stem cells.” Stem cell researchers believe it is possible to cure diseases by replacing old organs with newly cloned ones. This will impact future medical possibilities because newer treatments will be out there and the ability to cure diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer may be possible. Furthermore, federal funding for stem cell research has been limited although by the popularity of its breakthroughs; stem cell research may receive federal funding in the near future. This will broaden stem cell research and allow scientists a greater chance of discovering new medical possibilities in the near…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gattaca and 1984

    • 536 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol, shows a story of a society where life is controlled by genetics, rather than education or experiences. Based on your DNA, society determines where you belong, and your future. This allows no room for people to gain experiences and to grow, as they are confined to a specific lifestyle. It is evident however in the film that Vincent tries to violate societies’ structure, by playing the role of a navigator, using his blood samples and urine. George Orwell, the author of 1984, shows a similar concept, where life is controlled by the Party and where the main character, Winston, tries to defy the Party. Although it is obvious that both works have a dystopian society, the societies within it struggle to achieve a utopian society instead. Through its intense depiction of struggles to fit in and altering way of life to be accepted in society, Gattaca has enhanced the understanding of the impact that surveillance has in 1984 and how it has limited the people to prosper in life within society.…

    • 536 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People like Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali went to the supreme court over the issue in 2007 for the government to federally fund the research to help with Parkinson’s disease, knowing that this can and will be the cure for genetic disorders many people have privately funded the research. Stem cells can also be used to alter chromosome 21, which is the genetic mutation that occurs in zygote development causing Down syndrome. By obtaining eggs from a female, research on these mutations can further enhance are knowledge and someday give us the ability to use Nuclear transfer to rid human kind of such disorders in our…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Brave New World Vs Gattaca

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “ ‘Ninety-six identical twins working on ninety-six identical machines!’”( Huxley 7) People are made exactly the same as 96 others and are predestined to do exactly what the world state wants them to do. The world state creates people to be the best possible person they can be, to perfectly fit the job they want them to do. Having duplicates of the same person creates a stability in their government machine if something happens to one person then there's 95 more of the exact same copy to make sure everything keeps running as it needs to be. In Gattaca finding a job is tougher for people with health issues and bad DNA, but they still have the choice to do as they please. “‘ Why should anybody invest all that money to train me, when there are a thousand other applicants with a far more cleaner profile? Of course, it’s illegal to discriminate-”genoism” it’s called- but no one takes the law seriously’”( Gattaca) People still have the choice to pursue what career they wish to have. Their DNA may prohibit what they do, DNA limits the opportunity, but people still have the free will to choose the job they want versus fate and having a job people are predetermined to…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gattaca

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gattaca is a movie directed by Andrew Niccol and the film is set in the "not too distant future." Andrew Niccol's perception of the future isn't what most people expect, but once thought about carefully it seems quite believable. This movie presents us with a new method in which society strives for perfection and it also makes us wonder if genetic engineering is morally correct. Your place in society in Gattaca is based on your genetic makeup and the way you were born. People born the way we know as natural are "in-valids". On the other hand people born with the aid of genetic engineering are "valids." An "in-valid" has his future set out to be a cleaner or other insignificant job in society which doesn't require an education. A new form of prejudice has been recently debated about, which is the idea of having greater or second-rate genes.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gattaca

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gattaca is a story about the not-so-distant future, a time when genetic engineering is so common place that it is common practice. The world, of course, has the draw back that anyone who was not genetically engineered is part of new class of society, called an invalid.…

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people may not be aware, but embryonic stem cell research has the ability to cure diseases. Stem cells have the potential to cure Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, ALS. spinal cord injuries, and more. Embryonic stem cells have the ability to grow into all cell types of the body, including blood cells, muscle cells, and brain cells.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gattaca

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The 1997 science fiction drama film Gattaca by Andrew Niccol illustrates a dystopian world condemning genetic engineering which plays a primary role in determining whether the human being will be genetically superior or genetically inferior. Niccol utilizes his ‘degenerate’ protagonist, Vincent, to highlight the flaws of a system which encourages predeterminism over ambition and discrimination over acceptance. A society is presented where love has no value and one’s genetic make-up is more important than their intelligence and physicality.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A. Thesis: I'm here today to convince you that we should continue to use stem cell research treat human disease and abnormalities.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    One of the biggest political debates of recent times is whether the government should not only allow, but appropriate funds for the research of all types of stem cells mainly the embryonic stem cell. A stem cell is a primitive type of cell that can be manipulated into developing into most of the cells present in the body. Scientists believe that the stem cell is the single most important element in the cure of many diseases, which include heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and some types of cancer. Stem cells can be extracted from both adults and young embryos. The differences of an embryonic stem cell and an adult stem cell in most peoples eyes are that cells can be extracted from adults for research without harm to adult, but those extracted from embryos are the result of the destruction of the embryo. Scientists believe that although adult stem cells can be helpful in the research in disease, those cells are inferior to those of a human embryo because the embryonic stem cell can developing in almost all the types of cells in the body, but the adult variety is limited in how many cells it can develop into. The Coalition for the advancement of Medical Research estimates, "…stem cell research shows promise to develop cures and/or new treatments for 100 million Americans who currently suffer from a wide variety of diseases and disorders."…

    • 2512 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gattaca

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It seemed years ago that I was brought to this camp, brought to a life without my family, a life where I only cared for myself, a life where I was not truly living. It seemed I lived in this camp my whole life, it was hard to remember that it had only been 5 months.…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Stem Cell Debate

    • 4026 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Few recent scientific issues have stimulated so much media attention, public debate and government involvement as that of stem cell research. Stem cells offer people hope by promising to greatly extend the number and range of patients who could benefit from transplants, and to provide novel therapies to treat debilitating diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, Huntington's, heart disease and stroke, as well as accidental damage such as spinal cord injury. So why would anyone object to research in this area? The problem is simply that a particular type of stem cell, which potentially could provide many cell types for a wide range of therapeutic uses, is obtained from the very early embryo. To make matters even more contentious, the same cloning technology that gave Dolly the sheep could in theory be used to tailor stem cells to the patient. Some people worry that we are taking research too far down paths that make them feel uncomfortable, others think it is downright immoral and against their deep-held, often religious, beliefs. But what are the scientific issues and why do many of us feel equally passionate that the research should be allowed?…

    • 4026 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stem cell research could have a positive impact to different diseases including stroke, respiratory disease, diabetes, neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries, and some birth defects.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gattaca

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The ethical issues presented in Gattaca are ethical egoism, psychological egoism, sacrifice and the possibilities of radical perfection. It challenged the worthiness of the consequences of extreme self serving efforts; to take risks; to do the impossible despite public opinion. These ethical issues are based on the main character, Vincent. He uses these ideologies to achieve his goal of perfection, defying the constant disapproval of his parents which alienated him as a child.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays