明治学院経済2006
[1] Of the technologies now in use, genetic engineering is especially dangerous because many of the most common applications of this new technology threaten to generate unexpected, harmful side effects that cannot be reversed or corrected, but will afflict all future generations. The side effects caused by genetic manipulation are not just long-term. They are permanent.
[2] It is true that genetic engineers are now capable of altering DNA with reasonable precision. However, these alterations are defined only in physical and biological terms; genetic engineers cannot fully and reliably predict the biological effects of these alterations. They cannot adequately predict how these manipulations will influence cellular functioning, the psychology and behavior of the organism as a whole, and the ecosystem into which that genetically engineered organism will be introduced.
[3] It is impossible to confidently predict the effects of genetic manipulations because of the complexity and interconnectedness of living systems. Whether we examine the simplest single-celled microorganism, or a human being, or the global ecosystem, we find a huge number of complex components. These take part in extremely intricate, coordinated interactions, all as part of one, vast, integrated, unified phenomenon ― life.
[4] For instance, within the human body we find organ systems, which consist of different groups of organs. These are made up of tissues, which are in turn composed of cells. These levels of organization are interrelated and interconnected in both form and function. In order to carry out its function within the whole, each component is completely interdependent with the others. For example, in order for the lungs to fulfill their function, they depend on the heart and the circulatory system, and, likewise, those organs depend on the lungs.
[5] Looking deeper, within any one of the trillions of cells that make up our body, there is another vast world of complex subcellular structures, organelles, molecular networks, and metabolic pathways each composed of a variety of biomolecules. All work together in an integrated, interdependent manner.
[6] On the global scale, we find a similar situation. For instance, a moth may be absolutely dependent on a particular flowering plant as a food source, while that plant may be equally dependent on the moth to pollinate its flowers. Many such interactions comprise the microfabric from which the wider web of life is constructed. These interrelationships have been fine-tuned through millions of years of co-evolution, and this process is continuing.
[7] We see that all living systems are highly complex and at the same time unified and integrated. The degree of complexity is so great that genetic engineers cannot take all components of the system into account. Yet, when they change any single component, they inevitably influence the system as a whole. In such a situation, surprises are inevitable and experience shows that many of those surprises will not be pleasant ones.
[8] Unexpected, negative side effects are typical, not just of genetic engineering, but of all technologies emerging from the objective scientific approach. The difference between genetic engineering and other technologies is the duration of negative effects. Although many of the earlier technological impacts, such as nuclear and chemical pollution, seem long-term from the perspective of the human time scale, on geological and ecological time scales they are relatively temporary. When we terminate the activities causing chemical and nuclear pollution, mechanisms come into play that, in time, restore the ecosystem.
[9] In contrast, germ-line genetic manipulations alter the reproductive cells of the organism. As a consequence, those alterations will be passed on to all subsequent generations. Mistakes made during those manipulations and the harmful side effects that they cause will not disappear with time, but will be perpetuated.
[2] It is true that genetic engineers are now capable of altering DNA with reasonable precision. However, these alterations are defined only in physical and biological terms; genetic engineers cannot fully and reliably predict the biological effects of these alterations. They cannot adequately predict how these manipulations will influence cellular functioning, the psychology and behavior of the organism as a whole, and the ecosystem into which that genetically engineered organism will be introduced.
[3] It is impossible to confidently predict the effects of genetic manipulations because of the complexity and interconnectedness of living systems. Whether we examine the simplest single-celled microorganism, or a human being, or the global ecosystem, we find a huge number of complex components. These take part in extremely intricate, coordinated interactions, all as part of one, vast, integrated, unified phenomenon ― life.
[4] For instance, within the human body we find organ systems, which consist of different groups of organs. These are made up of tissues, which are in turn composed of cells. These levels of organization are interrelated and interconnected in both form and function. In order to carry out its function within the whole, each component is completely interdependent with the others. For example, in order for the lungs to fulfill their function, they depend on the heart and the circulatory system, and, likewise, those organs depend on the lungs.
[5] Looking deeper, within any one of the trillions of cells that make up our body, there is another vast world of complex subcellular structures, organelles, molecular networks, and metabolic pathways each composed of a variety of biomolecules. All work together in an integrated, interdependent manner.
[6] On the global scale, we find a similar situation. For instance, a moth may be absolutely dependent on a particular flowering plant as a food source, while that plant may be equally dependent on the moth to pollinate its flowers. Many such interactions comprise the microfabric from which the wider web of life is constructed. These interrelationships have been fine-tuned through millions of years of co-evolution, and this process is continuing.
[7] We see that all living systems are highly complex and at the same time unified and integrated. The degree of complexity is so great that genetic engineers cannot take all components of the system into account. Yet, when they change any single component, they inevitably influence the system as a whole. In such a situation, surprises are inevitable and experience shows that many of those surprises will not be pleasant ones.
[8] Unexpected, negative side effects are typical, not just of genetic engineering, but of all technologies emerging from the objective scientific approach. The difference between genetic engineering and other technologies is the duration of negative effects. Although many of the earlier technological impacts, such as nuclear and chemical pollution, seem long-term from the perspective of the human time scale, on geological and ecological time scales they are relatively temporary. When we terminate the activities causing chemical and nuclear pollution, mechanisms come into play that, in time, restore the ecosystem.
[9] In contrast, germ-line genetic manipulations alter the reproductive cells of the organism. As a consequence, those alterations will be passed on to all subsequent generations. Mistakes made during those manipulations and the harmful side effects that they cause will not disappear with time, but will be perpetuated.
コメント
コメントを投稿