In the movie Gattaca, Ethan Hawke played the role of a child that was conceived naturally, while his older brother was genetically constructed in a lab. Over the years Vincent, played by Ethan Hawke, always dreamed of working at Gattaca and going into space on a mission. He was constantly told he was never good enough because he didn’t have the right genes.
In order to work at Gattaca one needed to be a genetically altered human being. His brother on the other hand was destined to work at Gattaca. Thought the movie Vincent was transformed physical to look like Jerome. Once that was accomplished Vincent applied for a job and got the job because he used Jerome’s blood and urine. Vincent continued to work at Gattaca and continued to be the smartest and most talented worker.
He was even chosen to go on a mission in space, his life long dream. I think that it proves a lot about a person; Vincent was told he will never be as good as the genetically engineered people, but will his determination he proved everyone wrong. The movie was made a few years ago but the issues in the movie pertain to the issues going on in the world today. Biologists have just completed the Human Genome Project, which is a map of the genetic sequence of a human being. This information can tell if a certain individual has a disease that may not be recognized for years.
Although it can not tell you at what age a person will die or how smart they are it can help to fight and cure deadly diseases. The movie I believe is a glance into the future. Today Doctors are trying to be able to pick and chose the genes of children, which is could lead to having something similar to Gattaca in the future. I do believe this could happen and am truly scared for the next generations to come.
Doctors are trying to play the role of God, and interfering with the laws of nature. Having a child is a beautiful thing and I would never want to pick and chose what my child would look like or if he or she will be smart. Also who is to say what being smart is, do they mean smart book smart or smart street smart. People are influenced by their surroundings, there have been numerous studies done where twins are separated at birth and taking to different communities. As they grow up they experience new and different things which ultimately make them two different people.
The example of the twins is also similar to Kaunt’s theory of monogenesis. Kaunt believes that originally people lived in the same area, but over the years migrated to different areas. Because these people migrated to different areas they had needs for certain seeds more than other seeds. The seeds needed were activated and passed on to other generations. The seeds were such things as dark skin or pale hair.
Kaunt also believes that the original stock was fare skin and pale hair. Kaunt also believed that we as society should give ourselves the law; meaning, that we should do what is right and if you do not want to people to liter than do not liter yourself. Nietzsche despised Kaunt and his beliefs, Nietzsche believed that the world should be organized on strength. For example, in his first essay “ Good and Bad”, weaker men were not allowed the same rights as the stronger. In the eyes of the nobles, they considered themselves as being the good and the slaves the evil. They were good because they had power and were the masters of the slaves.
The slaves were inferior because they had no strength. But according to the slaves the nobles were bad because they were punishing the slaves. The slaves accepted their punishment because they knew that the nobles would one day be punished. This also relates to the movie Gattaca, Vincent was like a slave who had no power and was put down by all the nobles or “ God’s children”. But he worked and worked until he got the reward he was waiting for. He finally fulfilled his dream by taking off into outer space.
Nietzsche also believed that mediocrity was good and excellence was bad. In the movie even the genetically engineered humans were still not perfect. For example the real Jerome was programmed to be the best at everything, but he was not, he won a silver medal and not gold. Also his brother was genetically engineered, but when the two boys challenged each other to a swimming competition, Vincent won twice.
If the genetically engineered human were so perfect how could a naturally conceived human be smarter, quicker or faster? I do believe that there is a higher power out there somewhere and that if we are supposed to be genetically engineered then one day it will happen because we were given the tools to do so. My only hope is that the scientific research done is used properly. Because the information that is being discovered may lead to discrimination, which brings us back to Nietzsche’s first essay “ Good and Bad”, which is dealing with power and slavery, which to this day we are still trying to resolve the issues of slavery from fifty years ago.
