Bioengineering Food
Bioengineering Food
In the past decade, we have become witness to the creation to the birth of “ Dolly, the lamb, ” in-vitro fertilization, organ transplants, and nutritionally enhanced food, all of which fall under the very controversial topic of cloning. These dramatic advances in biotechnology have spurred many ethical debates as well as questions by many philosophers, researchers, scientists, as well as everyday people in dire need of these advancements for medical reasons. On the one hand, from a utilitarian perspective, bioengineering is essentially creating, “ the greatest good for the greatest number,” by possibly eliminating life threatening diseases and prolonging human life. On the other, it provokes fear throughout humans that one-day biotechnology may advance so far as to be able to clone human beings. Despite these fears, we can see how the bioengineering of food is a positive advancement in technology. Life can be prolonged and enhanced with cures for diseases; higher yielding crops and more nutritionally enhanced food, benefits all of us.
First of all, let us take an ethical standpoint. Based on the famous nineteenth-century English philosopher John Stuart Mill, “The purpose of a moral action is to achieve the greatest overall happiness, and to create the greatest good for the greatest number.” (Donaldson, p. 5) The bioengineering of food essentially creates the greatest good for the greatest number; for obvious reasons, all humans need food, and more nutritious food at that. The influence of bioengineering in crops could result in food that is more nutritious, better tasting, as well as creating a higher yields of crops. This bioengineered food can help to provide the poor with food at a more rapid pace. As, with the use of bioengineering, scientists are able to genetically alter crops through a process known as selective breeding. In this process, scientists can create crops having only desirable traits, thereby eliminating the undesirable traits. You may ask, why can’t we just grow crops in the traditional manner? According to the International Food Information Council Foundation, ‘Rather than spending 10-12 years to breed plants in the traditional manner, mixing thousands of genes to improve a crop plant, modern crop breeders can select a specific genetic trait from any pant and move it into the genetic code of another plant through biotechnology.’ (Food Biotechnology Inc., Background)
Biotechnology, according to the International Food Information Council foundation, is in essence helping...