International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
Redesigning Life with New Science: The Fine Line
Fariel Shafee
LLB, University of London, 2020
Abstract — We look into specific aspects of human civilisation the depend on inter-connectivity among related and unrelated individuals. The dependence may be need based or of more fundamental biological nature. Hence the cohesive factors may be rational reciprocity, trust or more instinctive attributes such as loyalty and faith. The biological dependence of members of a complex social structure as well as possible artifacts of local needs and needs of specific periods contribute to the structure the social network as individuals and the environment interact. Hence, stratification is created that are either fundamental or superficial. We analyse the possibilities of shifting the balance of average traditional human behavioural equilibria by introducing modern technologies especially in the fields of enhancement and reproduction. We imagine extreme scenarios to and surmise possible compensations for modern adaptation in behaviour by legal and social means given the uncertainties and complexities of artificially disturbing delicate biological interconnections.
Keywords — reproductive ethics, medical jurisprudence, enhancement, artificial reproduction, genetics and society
I. INTRODUCTION
Human societies are composed of individual members and also of clusters and subgroups that are held together by adhesive factors that may involve needs, sympathy, loyalty and rational decision making to collaborate. However, while each individual has a life to live on his or her own, the members are connected horizontally in a constant time slice within a society where they live together and vertically in between time slices by individuals of different generations. Biologically, human beings are composed of two broad sexes that depend on each other to reproduce though different sexual patterns are also observed in some members. However, recent biotechnological developments offer individuals the possibility of the freedom to have children who are modified or who can be conceived by using genetic material from only one person or even others of the same sex.
In this paper, we first analyse the relationships between one’s individual identity and social and biological connections to see if complete autonomy is possible. We look into case laws to deduce how the society values individuals and also connections. We discuss how some connections may be relatively stiffly held by biological factors while others may be shifted more arbitrarily.