Overview: In Anthem, we witness a society in which the government wishes to control its population by training its citizens from birth. What if they could control us before birth? The novel is science fiction, but the following documentary is not.
Directions: View the brief documentary Designer DNA from Explained. Compose a blog response where you discuss: 1) Direct parallels to Anthem and 2) Do you feel the benefits are worth the risks? Why or why not? Please feel free to explore this issue. I look forward to your responses.
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Due Friday, June 14th - All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Mr. Pellerin's Freshmen English
Overview : Go back to our first blog, and walk through the 2018-2019 school year. Revisit the books we read and our class responses. Look...
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Overview : Go back to our first blog, and walk through the 2018-2019 school year. Revisit the books we read and our class responses. Look... -
Overview : We have been reading a novel about a man named Equality-2527 . If Ayn Rand's novel, Anthem is a cautionary tale about the ...
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Directions : In this space, post your working thesis statement or concept and list of 10-12 Quotations you plan to use in your essay, list...
Rene Roustand
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the documentary Designer DNA and reading Anthem, there are a few things they have in common. In the novel, there were 4 types of specialties: carpenter, doctor, cook or leader. The Council of Vocations would put a student in each type of specialty. This compares to Designer DNA when you could design a baby from skin color, hair color, eyes, etc. I feel that the benefits are not worth the risk, because doing it naturally is much better than risking it.
Peyton Levental
ReplyDeleteIn the DNA documentary, both "Anthem" and DNA seem to have things that relate. Both stories share how in the future it will all be different. They also relate on the fact that the world will be the same and have the best qualities or be tall and have blond hair and blue eyes and be smart with zero imperfections. In Anthem, we see how everyone's the same or as they say "equal". I personally believe that the benefits are NOT worth the risks. I think this because manually choosing what your child looks like has no fun or suprise in it. Also, lets not forget that sometimes we could get a little ahead of ourselves and change every single part of what they would originally be so they could look nothing like you and act completely different. I think the natural birth is better.
Evan Brenner
DeleteI also said the benefits are not worth the risks because then there would be no diversity.
Lucas Kaufman
DeleteDidn't Hitler once say that the superior humans had blond hair and blue eyes? Funny as it is (as he did't have these traits), picking certain "favorable traits" for your child to have is the same thing that the Nazis, and even a lot of the societies in these dystopian novels, want in the world- Complete Equality.
I agree it is not worth the risk
Deletethat was abhi
DeleteI can agree
DeleteFrankie Huntress
ReplyDelete1)Some direct parallels i see between anthem and the documentary are that they both are trying to make things better in the world but both sides at first did not think of the down sides to it. I anthem everyone looks the same think the and there is not self identity the difference i fell is that in anthem they did not think of the down sides they just did it.
2) I personally do not like the idea of gene editing. I do not like it because it would only be affordable for the wealthy and it would make the economic classes very separated and also as long as there are people out there some are going to twist it around and use it for bad previous examples would be like the atom bomb was originally thought to be a new source of energy but now its a bomb and the news thought to be a way to spread news around faster now is just separating people and starting fights. This is why i don't like the idea of gene editing.
Julia Campbell
DeleteI agree with you on the second part of your answer. Its crazy that people would even try to enhance their children without any possible reason to think that their child would want that. I know that its not like you could even ask for consent but that's the point, just leave the children be until they're old enough to make that decision for themselves
I agree with you they both want to be a good thing but have their bad parts
DeleteSophia Lakos^^
DeleteDavis Blanch
DeleteI agree with your second part, gene editing would likely be only available to the wealthy and it would take away any sort of individuality for you.
Ben Worthley^^
DeleteDavis Blanch
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely some things that are parallel in anthem to the gene editing, in anthem everybody is almost the same, they are all supposed to be perfect, but if you are better than anybody else you are frowned upon. I feel like if most people were to use gene editing to make the perfect child there would be many of the same looking or acting people walking around, but if you are different or not perfect you might get looked down on or cast away from many people. I think gene editing has some benefits to it, I think it would be helpful to be able too detect if a child will have cancer for example and for you to be able to eradicate it and prevent other a child from getting other potentially harmful diseases.
Jayden Cho
DeleteAlthough genetic editing at first would help get rid of diseases and some cancers, first of all I would think that some people might not appreciate a whole disease being eradicated. I say this because many people are passionate about what disabilities they have, and it could cause many problems.
Drew Wachtel
ReplyDelete1.
I think that the Designer DNA and Anthem are similar because they both have the potential to make everybody have equal abilities. Both of the socity’s also want to make everyone equal in the health department as well.
2.
I would take the risk to to do the Designer DNA because it will cure cancer and all of the other terrible diseases that we have to fight with. But first we need the government to say that you can only use this technology for curing diseases and not making designer babies. Also I like how Iceland is using this technology for curing Down Syndrome and other diseases as well. If the U.S government does not limit this technology’s power it can lead to a world with more raiseism and a world with Hitler's ideas that we tried so hard to eliminate.
Lucas Kaufman
DeleteWhen you mentioned Iceland using gene editing to eradicate Down Syndrome as a good thing, I don't think you were necessarily wrong. I do think you should consider, however, that there are people in the world with Down Syndrome, Dwarfism, and other conditions curable with gene editing that are proud of what they have and are afraid of the possibility of parents in the future being able to say, "This embryo will be born with this condition, we don't want to fertilize it".
Drew Wachtel
DeleteI agree with you that they are proud of their diseases so maybe we should only cure the diseases that people could die from like cancer. The U.S goverment will not allow the parents to have that type of power on their child's birth but they will be assured that there kid will be born healthy.
Rene Roustand
DeleteI agree with this!
ReplyDeleteJulia Campbell
1. Anthem and Designer DNA have a lot of similarities. The first thing that I noticed that is related between these two possible futures is the need for perfection. In the novel Anthem, everyone is expected to be, act, and look the same, and their society has an unhealthy hunger for refinement. In the documentary Designer DNA, the metaphorical human population has a need for the betterment of humans. When you look at it from a certain point of view, you can see all of the bright new possibilities for humanity, but of course, they come with a costly price figuratively and literally.
2. I do not think that the benefits are worth the risk. If this comes to be a reality, imagine all the terrible things humans will try to do to get their child to be better than the others. Another dilemma rises up with “designer babies”, the likelihood for kids to be bullied and harassed because they aren't “up to date”. This will cause an all-new type of bigotry. Try to imagine the terrible things that people would do because they thought kids weren't good enough. I’m guaranteed that the national suicide rate would sky-rocket and that only those with money would be able to have these “Designer Babies” since it would cost you a fortune. If you’re considering that this baby modifying is a good thing, then consider this. Your parents go to a gene clinic to modify their baby(you!!). They pick the baby with the tallest height(not you). Try to comprehend the chance of you not being born because of a height difference. That's pretty much what the genetically modified game is all about. I can understand that you would want to eliminate the chance for cancer or another serious health problem for your baby but anything beyond that is cruel and unethical.
I agree with the "Up to date" point! it was a lot like my sibling controversy, I also agree with the suicide point you made!
DeleteJayden Cho
DeleteI liked your hypothetical thinking about how the future could end up, and it seemed very much like a future reality. I also agree about the "up to date" point, and just like bragging to your friends what kind of new gadget/tech they have, this could also end up in the future on how much more "Advanced" they were than another.
Sophia Lakos I like how you said there is a need for perfection that really does capture both of them perfectly
DeleteJulia Campbell
DeleteThanks, I believe that if we do end up genetically modifying our next generations of humans then we might end up abandoning the ones that aren't as good as the other ones and we could also start a new division between people.
Lucas Kaufman
ReplyDelete1. Though not in the same way, there are definitely parallels between gene editing and the society described in “Anthem”. Both are a way of controlling society, whether it be “Anthem”’s control of the aspects of a person’s life to the degree that they cease to be individuals, or gene editing’s control of certain physical aspects of a person, such as eye color, height, or even prevention of genetic conditions. Gene editing is thought by many to not be a bad thing, at least not in the way that “Anthem” is bad- and it isn’t. But when we start to get carried away with this, start crossing the Somatic-Germline and Therapy-Enhancement lines, and “Anthem” might just be where we as a species end up.
2. I certainly think gene editing has benefits. I understand the want to eradicate these diseases, to make the human race “better”, and I think that parents who don’t want their child to suffer such a thing or aren’t up for the challenge of raising a disabled child should have the option of making sure that their child doesn’t have any of these conditions. But for parents who are proud of their disabilities, or even just want to leave things up to chance, we should make sure that neither gene editing nor lack thereof becomes something that you are shunned for.
I agree with how gene editing could have the possibility to have some benefits and mentioned in your second paragraph, I feel like acknowledging how the world has done before, it is always about the next step, the "How far can I go until I cross the line". However, the world always thinks that it is ok to do this yet years later would think how bad of a mistake they did, and I feel the same way with genetic editing. I think there are even more consequences and benefits in genetic editing, and would disagree with your statement.
DeleteThat was Jayden ^^
Delete1. The parallels of the documentary to the book are the newest generation is being controlled. They both try to give everyone a “fairer” chance in life as well. In Anthem, they are trying to make everyone the same height and all that, the new technologies first purpose was to fix the disadvantages so everyone's the same.
ReplyDelete2. I feel that the benefits are not worth the risks. The CRISPR is going to work in the short term but in the long term, I don't think it will be as much help as everyone thinks it will. The risks are endless (it’s like a bad version of the Sneetches from Dr. Seuss) everyone will be paying a high price. Culture will also change, it will be the age of enhancement and it will open a whole can of worms no one will know where to draw the line and what goes too far. People could be changing their babies to try and make them the most elite, it is politics in kids. Families might end up having one child enhanced, and as technology increases the next child may have more and better enhancements, that could cause quite a bit of controversy among the siblings. Another thing is, the company that ends up owning this technology will be too powerful. Also in the documentary, there was a severe concern that the technology could turn into another Hitler movement. This just seems like a serious invasion of privacy, kids are supposed to be innocent not having their lives planned out in utero. I know I could never live up to anything with high expectations of my future from my parents picked before I was born. The “Designer Babies” are going to feel so much pressure and it could increase crime and suicide rates, or they rise to the top and run the world. Another thing is wherever the technology is geologically,that is going to be the most influential and newly populated place it is another way to control. Another thing is the abortion rate could go up for right now because they can tell what will be wrong with the baby and there will be a lot of people who would think it would be cheaper or easier to not have a disabled child. Also, people create things out of necessity and if there are no disadvantages or need for improvement things might not be made.
Julia Campbell
DeleteYour expands on some similar points of mine. I also think that the suicide rate would go up since the un-enhanced kids would be easy to pick on and in turn may become the "un-evolved" in relative terms. I agree with your last sentence as well. If there's no need for children that are un-evolved, then they might be discarded because the genetically enhanced humans wouldn't want anything to hold them back.
your paragraph**
DeleteLucas Kaufman
DeleteYour mentioning of a possible second Nazi movement really made me think about how much the "ideal world" of the Nazis is like those envisioned in dystopian novels like "Anthem" and "The Giver". These societies sound far fetched in today's world, but all it could have taken to start one up is the outcome of one world war.
Jayden Cho
DeleteI agree with a lot of what you were saying in your second paragraph, and while I was reading a thought came into my head. It was that what genetic editing might become is similar to AI robots, the ability to enhance themselves as technology gets more advanced. Is genetic editing going to be the cause of AI robots? I think it is a possibility, for genetic editing is nothing related to "Natural".
yeah there are many things that could happen and it could end up getting out of control and it could lead to really bad things
DeleteThe book “Anthem” and the documentary have a few similarities. The book is about everyone being the same and not being noticed as an individual. As the documentary is sharing how in the near future people can basically design their babies. Everyone wants the best for their children and they will be able to give them the best of the best with this technology. If everyone is more advanced and given the same looks the population will stop being so diverse, there for people start to look and act the same like in the book Anthem. Although it will be able to prevent a lot I feel like it comes with more good than bad. The risks are too severe to try I think, especially since if you are not wealthy enough to afford this you won’t have the option. Also there is not a clear line between therapy and enhancement which makes this very confusing. If this happens it will also steer the future of human evolution which might be too risky. It also has yet to be fully tested with someone.
ReplyDeleteSophia Lakos^^
DeletePeyton Levental
DeleteI agree that the parents would want the best for their babies and since now we have the technology to do so, like you said, the risks are too severe to try because we will only be doing enhancements not just therapy.
Abhi Sharma
ReplyDeleteThe book Anthem and Designer DNA have some things in common like everybody is equal no baby or person has one advantage over someone or something. The difference between the documentary and Anthem are that the government don't take your baby from birth. Also people can choose what you can do like be good at basketball, intelligent, and be respectful, with this you can make your baby whatever you want it to be.
Abhi Sharma
DeleteI forgot to mention I think this can be a problem because we might not know what the outcome will be.
Is it dangerous for us human?
I agree sometimes when we try and change something to prevent things that we think will happen, it creates new problems.
DeleteLucas Kaufman
DeleteI definitely see how and why the parents might want their child to be good at certain things, but something gene editing can't control is the child's possible lack of interest in the very thing their parents edited them to be good at. If the child was edited to be 6'5" and has no interest in basketball, for example, their height would mean nothing.
Evan Brenner
ReplyDeleteThe documentary Designer DNA and Anthem have many similarities. For example, in the video they talk about designer babies. They are basically changing the baby's genetic makeup when they are born. I think this connects to the novel Anthem because they want everyone to be the same and no differences. Personally, I do not think all of these benefits are worth the risks because our world wouldn’t be what it is right now with diversity. Everyone is their own unique person. With diversity we can learn about different cultural and ethnic groups.
Ben Worthley
ReplyDelete10-3-18
2. Do I believe that designer DNA is a good thing. Yes to an extent. If you were to change something that could be harmful to the baby like cancer that I think that's fine as long as you are doing it to help the baby in the future like a heart disease. It's when you try to control what your baby will look like that I don't agree with. I think if your baby has blonde hair great if it has brown hair great. I think trying to have the perfect baby. Every parent wants their kids to do good in life but I don’t think that we have to genetically modify your kids to do that.
The only direct parallels I saw between anthem and the documentary was the aspect of crontroll. In Anthem the government has completely taken control of everyday life and has completely Obliterated the word I. with the crisper you are taken the way a person will be like and have completely taken it taken it out of there hands. You can’t determine a person's height with a single gene but you can predicted what the percentile will be. That is like taking all the control like in Anthem. However in Anthem the government has practically raised you, and has taken all the control of your parents. With cisper you will be doing practically the same thin
Sophia Lakos
DeleteI totally agree with what you said how both were about control.
yeah i agree with that it could lead to some terrible things
Deletejames k
Jayden Cho
ReplyDelete10/4/18
1. In the documentary Designer DNA from Explained, both the book Anthem and the documentary have many parallels or similarities with them. One similarity is that when genetic editing becomes much more advanced, future generations could have a lesser risk on certain diseases that can be blocked with one gene, for instance HIV, Sickle cell disease, and more. This would result in an almost entire world without that disease, which could be beneficial in some ways, although could have consequences. This is similar to Anthem although the intent was very different and negative. In the dystopian society of Anthem, they are taught at a very young age very different ideas and thoughts which would be taught to every single generation. This resulted later on the entire society having the same knowledge as everyone else, and thus created all equal. There is no doubt that there would be a risk if we were to do genetic editing for later generations, and based off of Anthem’s society it would be easy to assume that these consequences would also happen in our world if it was to, which is one of the reasons genetic editing is so risky for our world. Another similarity between Anthem and the documentary were the classes/groupings that they were almost born in. In the documentary, they talk about future classes in people where everyone knows what strengths/weaknesses they have according to data, as well as their expected height, learning capabilities, etc. This is very similar, if not exactly what Stalin did in the Stalinian era, where people were giving classes and amount of work, food, etc based off of what you were born with. One great allegory of this was the book Animal Farm, which is based off of the era. Anthem is parallel to this because the people are born with their abilities, similar to the Giver. Everyone at the beginning have good ideas on what job they were to be picked, and later chosen for that job to work effectively with their own strengths. This was not the case for Equality, for the leaders chose a job different to scholar for they didn’t want Equality to strengthen even more his unique ability, but otherwise was the case for everyone else in the society
2. I feel like the benefits are clearly not worth the amount of risks, for easily many consequences could go wrong. This is very similar to the past of trying to make a perfect society, a utopia, and always goes wrong and becomes even worse of a society. For instance, this could be seen in the Nazi party with the “perfect human being” consisted of blue eyes, blonde hair, fully german, and more(which was ironic since Adolf Hitler consisted none of these). However, although the Nazi party and seemingly the whole world didn’t realize, they were discriminating any others not having any attributes of this perfect human being. This resulted in the genocide of over 1.3 million Jews, which ended up in more war(world war 2) and splitted the whole world apart. If we were to prevent this happening, we should eradicate any possibilities of this, and trying to see the genetic editing in a different perspective. However, since our technology as of today isn’t advanced, and these possibilities are the worst to happen, it is very hard to predict what could result of genetic editing for it is such a new topic.
Jayden Cho
Delete(I had to edit and take away a whole paragraph since apparently 4096 characters is the max ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
jesus jayden
DeleteGannon Sylvester
ReplyDelete10/3/18
English ©
Designer DNA
This designer DNA documentary does have direct ties to the novel “Anthem”, in a few different ways. In Anthem, the caretakers want to try to make everyone the same from the beginning of their life, and although they do not have any way to genetically edit the outcome of the embryo, they do everything in their power to keep everyone equal. However, unlike real life, there are many things that they are prohibited to do, like writing in their free time. In real life, there would be no restrictions that the child has to endure after being genetically altered. All though the characters in the book may not look the same, but they act and are supposed to think the same as one another.
I think that the benefits of designer babies are worth the risk. The reason that I feel this way is for the opportunity for a scientific breakthrough. If the people of today were to accomplish this, I wouldn't want this to be an everyday sort of thing when parents can choose their baby, I would simply want it for the purpose of exterminating disease that we know is inside the child yet. Obviously, there are many know diseases that do not come from genes or the birth of a child. But there would be a chance of eliminating thing like type one diabetes, or autism or down syndrome. Doing this would be an amazing breakthrough and would help push what science is capable of in the future.
not direct ties
Deleteexamples of similarities is better.
gannon sylvester
The documentary Designer DNA and Anthem have many similarities. in the video they talk about designer babies. They are basically changing the baby's genetics when they are born. I think this connects to the novel Anthem because they want everyone to be the same and no differences. I dont think all of these benefits are worth the risks because our world wouldn’t be what it is right now with diversity. Everyone is their own unique person. With diversity we can learn about different cultural and ethnic groups.
ReplyDeletejames kiladis
Abhi Sharma
DeleteI agree they want every baby to have an ability to do something good.
Mitch Keamy
ReplyDeleteIn “Anthem” by Ayn Rand the people are trying to modify everybody so that everybody is the same. They all grow up together and the boys and girls stay seperate. In the film we watched, it is explained that in the future people will be able to modify their babies. I think that in the future, people will develop a stereotype of how their babies need to look, and a direct parallel between them is that someday everyone is going to be a clone of each other.