chitswood
Member
If you have the patience to read it all, give me a grade - THIS IS THE FINAL DRAFT:
Amidst my family of eleven brothers and sister, I find everywhere I turn an argument, an agreement, a preference, or a dislike towards anything that happens to poke its way into our life. Although we all live under the same roof, every one of us differs in so many ways that, if we did not look related, we would never pass as a family. Our environment is similar, but none of US are similar. Genetics, therefore, must have dealt us the differences that make dinner a carnival of exotic foods from all over the supermarket.
The diversity in my family, and in all people, inspired me to write on this subject, the depths of genetic inheritance has by far lost most of its credit in helping form our society
For instance, one of the problems still plaguing our time is racism. Racism belittled any man that looked different from the rest of the group. “In the Jim Crow South, the one-drop rule decreed that any drop of
African blood made a person a Negro, which amounted to political and social
disenfranchisement.†(1) Or,
“Genetic information has been used as a tool of exclusion (to
say, for example, who was not allowed to marry in South Carolina)
and it can also be used as a tool to confer benefits (to say, for
example, who is eligible for affirmative action benefits, or
allowed to share in tribal land claims.)â€(2)
These unfortunate fellows, looking different only because of inherited genetics, suffered greatly for these differences. African Americans â€" “Blacks†are thought of differently only because genetics would have them that way, despite whether they are a good or bad people. Just from outside appearance, genetics change judgment within our own species, our own brothers.
Genetics can do more than create diversity through appearance.
My own brother suffers from an underdeveloped thyroid gland. He
cannot properly regulate and renew energy, has
trouble waking up in the morning and staying active throughout the day.
Despite his handicap, he receives the same treatment as all of my siblings,
and is expected to do as well in his work.
Is comparing his work to other’s fair?
Someone with boundless energy finishes what my brother toils with enormous hardships over, my brother’s missing thyroid gland was not brought about by choice, but by chance.
Other, more inward problems like alcoholism, violence, drugs, and so on are being researched for a genetic link:
“Researchers investigate possible genetic, biochemical, and neurobehavioral
markers and characteristics(3)
difficulties arise in the process of research because everyone differs, so one of the more vital studies is being followed on twins:
“Twin studies compare the incidence of alcoholism in identical twins
with the incidence of alcoholism in fraternal twins. If there is a
genetic component in the risk for alcoholism, then identical twins, who
have identical genes, would be expected to exhibit similar histories of
developing alcoholism (or not developing alcoholism).
Fraternal twins, who are genetically different individuals born at the
same time, would be more likely to differ in their tendencies to
develop alcoholism. In general, researchers using the twin method
have found these expectations to be true†(5)
Pickens and co-workers studied 169 same-sex pairs of twins, both males and females, at least one of which had sought treatment for alcoholism. “The researchers found greater concordance of alcohol dependence in identical twins than in fraternal twins†(12)
Adoption studies are also being done:
“Adoption studies may employ a number of techniques. One is to compare the histories of children of alcoholics who are adopted by nonalcoholics and grow up in a nondrinking environment with the histories of children of nonalcoholics similarly raised in a nondrinking environment†(11)
Scientists are also studying other animals for alcohol problems:
“Researchers have studied alcohol-related behaviors in animals that are believed to resemble aspects of human alcoholism. These include consumption of and preference for alcohol, sedation induced by alcohol, locomotor activation by alcohol (thought by some investigators to model the euphoric effects of alcohol in humans), motor discoordination and hypothermia induced by alcohol, withdrawal from alcohol, and tolerance to various effects of alcohol (6)
And, like the studies on twins, alcoholism being an inherited trait appears to be very possible,
â€Researchers have succeeded in breeding lines of rodents with high or low measures of most of these traits; this success demonstrates that the traits are substantially genetically determined in rodents†(6)
Although scientists are still looking for more links that show inherited alcoholism, a more obvious possibility relates to physical attributes.
“Although investigations of the inheritance of a vulnerability
to alcoholism are discussed here, a separate and distinct
issue, not discussed here, is the possibility that a
vulnerability to organ damage by alcohol is under some
genetic control†(4).
More seriously, genetics can continue to go so far as contributing to a violent behavior.
“There seems to be evidence of a genetic component in criminal behavior. It is widely agreed not to be "deterministic"--by which discussions outside philosophy seem to mean that by itself it is not sufficient to determine behavior.†(7)
Enviroment certainly plays a large role:
“Environmental factors make a decisive difference--for that matter, there are nongenetic biological factors--in whether and how genetic endowment manifests itself phenotypically. Moreover, even if its manifestation were inevitable, its bearing on criminal behavior apparently turns on general personality traits on the order of "impulsivity" that under different conditions of life could take very different forms.†(7)
Of all the possibilities I have found, this one seems most likely, again this was brought about by genetics affecting the physical being:
“There is an alternative picture guiding current research on criminal behavior (among other things): of inadequate resources of behavioral control. This substitutes for interfering causes an absence of "enabling" causes of normal control such as adequate supply of serotonin and other electrotransmitters. The effects of serotonin shortage on criminal behavior according to the current accounts would seem to involve a kind of localized learning disability.â€(8)
In other words, genetic disabilities - a lack of serotonin, may be making a percent of criminals literally mentally ill.
Of course, to say that its not their fault, that they’re inclined to such behavior is nonsense. Although genetics possibly play a role in criminal behavior, everyone has a free will, so (even if your genetically inherited alcoholism played a role ;^) ) all actions should have due responsibility.
“The will may be subject to a disability--internal limitation as opposed to interference--but some form of blame may still be warranted to the extent that the act in question does depend on the agents will and hence counts as voluntary.†(9)
Can genetics take away an equal freedom of choice? No, but genetics can certainly warp the will.
If rape, murder, alcoholism, anger and violence are all hurting society, can they be dampened or manipulated through genetics? Scientists already struggle to control them, perhaps society will see super humans in the future?
"The end goal â€" what it's all going to come down to â€" is it's going to change medicine enormously," the University of Utah professor says. "Ultimately, we're talking about the elimination or control of cancer, of heart disease, of all the other diseases out there." -Mario Capecchi
Mr. Capecchi who is currently studying genetic manipulation in rodents, believes the ability to completely control genetics to the point of perfection can be obtained in the next 20-50 years.
Besides fixing genetic impediments on the will, scientists are also looking forward to cures from genetic research.
“Genetics is gradually taking the guesswork out of medicine. Despite all our advances over the centuries, the practice of medicine is still largely trial-and-error, although radical changes in diagnostic medicine are anticipated with projected sequencing of the entire human genome†(10)
Is the ability to control genetics good or bad? Many scientists and researchers continue to debate this, fro some it reaches matters of faith and humanity, like the study of embryonic stem cell research. Others say nature, chance, or God, should continue to make every human unique, thus adding to a world of differences where we can rely on others to meet the needs that we lack.
As of now, polls show the majority of people say that more control over science is a benefit to mankind.
The debate trails on, just as research does…
The idea of genetics taking, warping, our freedom is mind boggling!
For instance, two of the people who I quoted in my research paper, Gottesmand H.H. Goldsmith, and P.S. Greenspand, have their own genetic differences, so how can their hypothesis mean the same to everyone that reads it? How can our own understanding of genetics be accurate if every one of us has our own genetically understanding?
Will you read this term paper the same way I did?
-Darick
References
1. Davis, James F. Who is Black? One Nations Definition.
University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991
2. Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for Bioethics University of Minnesota Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for Bioethics University of Minnesota
3. â€((( â€"Cloninger, CR., & Begleite, H., eds.
‘Genetics and Biology of Alcoholism’: Banbury Report 33
4. Annoni, G.; Weiner, F.R.; Colombo, M.;
Czaja, M.J.; & Zern, M.A. Albumin and collagen gene
regulation in alcohol- and virus-induced human liver disease.
Gastroenterology 98:197-202, 1990.
5. 16) Hrubec, Z., &
Omenn, G.S. Evidence of genetic predisposition to alcoholic cirrhosis
and psychosis: Twin concordances for alcoholism and its biological
endpoints by zygosity among male veterans. Alcoholism: Clinical and
Experimental Research 5:207-212, 1981.
6. Phillips, T.J., & Crabbe, J.C. Behavioral studies of genetic differences in alcohol action. In: Crabbe, J.C., and Harris, R.A., eds. The Genetic Basis of Alcohol and Drug Actions. New York: Plenum Press, 1991. pp. 25-104.
7. Gottesman and H.H. Goldsmith, "Developmental Psychopathology of Antisocial Behavior: Inserting Genes into its Ontogenesis and Epigenesis,"
8. P.S. Greenspand from the university of Maryland says
9. On voluntary disabilities cf. the account in Bernard Gert and Tomothy J. Duggan, "Free Will as the Ability to Will,"
10. Mark Saal, Continuum, vol.8 no.3 THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH WINTER 1998-99
11. Goodwin, D.W.; Schulsinger, F.; Hermansen, L.; Guze, S.B.; & Winokur, G. Alcohol problems in adoptees raised apart from alcoholic biological parents. Archives of General Psychiatry 28:238-243, 1973
12. Pickens, R.W.; Svikis, D.S.; McGue, M.; Lykken, D.T.; Heston, L.L.; & Clayton, P.J. Heterogeneity in the inheritance of alcoholism. Archives of General Psychiatry 48:19-28, 1991.
Amidst my family of eleven brothers and sister, I find everywhere I turn an argument, an agreement, a preference, or a dislike towards anything that happens to poke its way into our life. Although we all live under the same roof, every one of us differs in so many ways that, if we did not look related, we would never pass as a family. Our environment is similar, but none of US are similar. Genetics, therefore, must have dealt us the differences that make dinner a carnival of exotic foods from all over the supermarket.
The diversity in my family, and in all people, inspired me to write on this subject, the depths of genetic inheritance has by far lost most of its credit in helping form our society
For instance, one of the problems still plaguing our time is racism. Racism belittled any man that looked different from the rest of the group. “In the Jim Crow South, the one-drop rule decreed that any drop of
African blood made a person a Negro, which amounted to political and social
disenfranchisement.†(1) Or,
“Genetic information has been used as a tool of exclusion (to
say, for example, who was not allowed to marry in South Carolina)
and it can also be used as a tool to confer benefits (to say, for
example, who is eligible for affirmative action benefits, or
allowed to share in tribal land claims.)â€(2)
These unfortunate fellows, looking different only because of inherited genetics, suffered greatly for these differences. African Americans â€" “Blacks†are thought of differently only because genetics would have them that way, despite whether they are a good or bad people. Just from outside appearance, genetics change judgment within our own species, our own brothers.
Genetics can do more than create diversity through appearance.
My own brother suffers from an underdeveloped thyroid gland. He
cannot properly regulate and renew energy, has
trouble waking up in the morning and staying active throughout the day.
Despite his handicap, he receives the same treatment as all of my siblings,
and is expected to do as well in his work.
Is comparing his work to other’s fair?
Someone with boundless energy finishes what my brother toils with enormous hardships over, my brother’s missing thyroid gland was not brought about by choice, but by chance.
Other, more inward problems like alcoholism, violence, drugs, and so on are being researched for a genetic link:
“Researchers investigate possible genetic, biochemical, and neurobehavioral
markers and characteristics(3)
difficulties arise in the process of research because everyone differs, so one of the more vital studies is being followed on twins:
“Twin studies compare the incidence of alcoholism in identical twins
with the incidence of alcoholism in fraternal twins. If there is a
genetic component in the risk for alcoholism, then identical twins, who
have identical genes, would be expected to exhibit similar histories of
developing alcoholism (or not developing alcoholism).
Fraternal twins, who are genetically different individuals born at the
same time, would be more likely to differ in their tendencies to
develop alcoholism. In general, researchers using the twin method
have found these expectations to be true†(5)
Pickens and co-workers studied 169 same-sex pairs of twins, both males and females, at least one of which had sought treatment for alcoholism. “The researchers found greater concordance of alcohol dependence in identical twins than in fraternal twins†(12)
Adoption studies are also being done:
“Adoption studies may employ a number of techniques. One is to compare the histories of children of alcoholics who are adopted by nonalcoholics and grow up in a nondrinking environment with the histories of children of nonalcoholics similarly raised in a nondrinking environment†(11)
Scientists are also studying other animals for alcohol problems:
“Researchers have studied alcohol-related behaviors in animals that are believed to resemble aspects of human alcoholism. These include consumption of and preference for alcohol, sedation induced by alcohol, locomotor activation by alcohol (thought by some investigators to model the euphoric effects of alcohol in humans), motor discoordination and hypothermia induced by alcohol, withdrawal from alcohol, and tolerance to various effects of alcohol (6)
And, like the studies on twins, alcoholism being an inherited trait appears to be very possible,
â€Researchers have succeeded in breeding lines of rodents with high or low measures of most of these traits; this success demonstrates that the traits are substantially genetically determined in rodents†(6)
Although scientists are still looking for more links that show inherited alcoholism, a more obvious possibility relates to physical attributes.
“Although investigations of the inheritance of a vulnerability
to alcoholism are discussed here, a separate and distinct
issue, not discussed here, is the possibility that a
vulnerability to organ damage by alcohol is under some
genetic control†(4).
More seriously, genetics can continue to go so far as contributing to a violent behavior.
“There seems to be evidence of a genetic component in criminal behavior. It is widely agreed not to be "deterministic"--by which discussions outside philosophy seem to mean that by itself it is not sufficient to determine behavior.†(7)
Enviroment certainly plays a large role:
“Environmental factors make a decisive difference--for that matter, there are nongenetic biological factors--in whether and how genetic endowment manifests itself phenotypically. Moreover, even if its manifestation were inevitable, its bearing on criminal behavior apparently turns on general personality traits on the order of "impulsivity" that under different conditions of life could take very different forms.†(7)
Of all the possibilities I have found, this one seems most likely, again this was brought about by genetics affecting the physical being:
“There is an alternative picture guiding current research on criminal behavior (among other things): of inadequate resources of behavioral control. This substitutes for interfering causes an absence of "enabling" causes of normal control such as adequate supply of serotonin and other electrotransmitters. The effects of serotonin shortage on criminal behavior according to the current accounts would seem to involve a kind of localized learning disability.â€(8)
In other words, genetic disabilities - a lack of serotonin, may be making a percent of criminals literally mentally ill.
Of course, to say that its not their fault, that they’re inclined to such behavior is nonsense. Although genetics possibly play a role in criminal behavior, everyone has a free will, so (even if your genetically inherited alcoholism played a role ;^) ) all actions should have due responsibility.
“The will may be subject to a disability--internal limitation as opposed to interference--but some form of blame may still be warranted to the extent that the act in question does depend on the agents will and hence counts as voluntary.†(9)
Can genetics take away an equal freedom of choice? No, but genetics can certainly warp the will.
If rape, murder, alcoholism, anger and violence are all hurting society, can they be dampened or manipulated through genetics? Scientists already struggle to control them, perhaps society will see super humans in the future?
"The end goal â€" what it's all going to come down to â€" is it's going to change medicine enormously," the University of Utah professor says. "Ultimately, we're talking about the elimination or control of cancer, of heart disease, of all the other diseases out there." -Mario Capecchi
Mr. Capecchi who is currently studying genetic manipulation in rodents, believes the ability to completely control genetics to the point of perfection can be obtained in the next 20-50 years.
Besides fixing genetic impediments on the will, scientists are also looking forward to cures from genetic research.
“Genetics is gradually taking the guesswork out of medicine. Despite all our advances over the centuries, the practice of medicine is still largely trial-and-error, although radical changes in diagnostic medicine are anticipated with projected sequencing of the entire human genome†(10)
Is the ability to control genetics good or bad? Many scientists and researchers continue to debate this, fro some it reaches matters of faith and humanity, like the study of embryonic stem cell research. Others say nature, chance, or God, should continue to make every human unique, thus adding to a world of differences where we can rely on others to meet the needs that we lack.
As of now, polls show the majority of people say that more control over science is a benefit to mankind.
The debate trails on, just as research does…
The idea of genetics taking, warping, our freedom is mind boggling!
For instance, two of the people who I quoted in my research paper, Gottesmand H.H. Goldsmith, and P.S. Greenspand, have their own genetic differences, so how can their hypothesis mean the same to everyone that reads it? How can our own understanding of genetics be accurate if every one of us has our own genetically understanding?
Will you read this term paper the same way I did?
-Darick
References
1. Davis, James F. Who is Black? One Nations Definition.
University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991
2. Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for Bioethics University of Minnesota Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for Bioethics University of Minnesota
3. â€((( â€"Cloninger, CR., & Begleite, H., eds.
‘Genetics and Biology of Alcoholism’: Banbury Report 33
4. Annoni, G.; Weiner, F.R.; Colombo, M.;
Czaja, M.J.; & Zern, M.A. Albumin and collagen gene
regulation in alcohol- and virus-induced human liver disease.
Gastroenterology 98:197-202, 1990.
5. 16) Hrubec, Z., &
Omenn, G.S. Evidence of genetic predisposition to alcoholic cirrhosis
and psychosis: Twin concordances for alcoholism and its biological
endpoints by zygosity among male veterans. Alcoholism: Clinical and
Experimental Research 5:207-212, 1981.
6. Phillips, T.J., & Crabbe, J.C. Behavioral studies of genetic differences in alcohol action. In: Crabbe, J.C., and Harris, R.A., eds. The Genetic Basis of Alcohol and Drug Actions. New York: Plenum Press, 1991. pp. 25-104.
7. Gottesman and H.H. Goldsmith, "Developmental Psychopathology of Antisocial Behavior: Inserting Genes into its Ontogenesis and Epigenesis,"
8. P.S. Greenspand from the university of Maryland says
9. On voluntary disabilities cf. the account in Bernard Gert and Tomothy J. Duggan, "Free Will as the Ability to Will,"
10. Mark Saal, Continuum, vol.8 no.3 THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH WINTER 1998-99
11. Goodwin, D.W.; Schulsinger, F.; Hermansen, L.; Guze, S.B.; & Winokur, G. Alcohol problems in adoptees raised apart from alcoholic biological parents. Archives of General Psychiatry 28:238-243, 1973
12. Pickens, R.W.; Svikis, D.S.; McGue, M.; Lykken, D.T.; Heston, L.L.; & Clayton, P.J. Heterogeneity in the inheritance of alcoholism. Archives of General Psychiatry 48:19-28, 1991.