A friend of mine sent me this article today, with the rather humorous note “Just don’t name them Skynet!”; Cyborg Cockroach Sparks Ethics Debate. Like every other issue in the world, there are those for it, and those against it. I’m only writing about it here because innovation and science fascinate me.
Their example for experimentation; “…pleased that the project will teach students about the neuroscience behind brain stimulation treatments that are being used to treat two of his friends with Parkinson’s disease.”
Their examples against; “They encourage amateurs to operate invasively on living organisms” and “encourage thinking of complex living organisms as mere machines or tools.”
And my favourite; “I’ll just be happy that I found a cleverly marketed consumer item that I am very happy not to own.”
The debate is of course over ethics. The question is; is it OK to experiment on cockroaches in order to further the cause of neuroscience? The in-favour camp say the benefits are numerous; from treatment of Parkinson’s disease, to non-surgical treatment of epilepsy, to giving back mobility to those who have lost the use of limbs or lost them altogether. The not-in-favour camp say that it’s simply not right morally/ethically/humanely etc., or that you’re teaching kids to be psychopaths.
One side need only point to the numerous examples of life saving medical breakthroughs that involved the use of animal testing to make their argument, the other side need only point to WWII concentration camps to make theirs.
Forget for a moment that we spend billions globally on killing ‘roaches, and that almost every human feels an involuntary shudder of disgust when we see one. Forget also that two extremes of alternative to experimenting on ‘lower’ life forms are 1) experimenting on humans instead, or 2) letting our disorders go untreated. And finally, forget that a large percentage of our medical advances are the result of killing each other in larger numbers; i.e. war. OK, so the last one doesn’t really fit, but is does demonstrate that no issue is simple.
Instead, focus in this; in the end, the only thing that matters to you is your own opinion, and you are either for it, against it – and rather surprisingly given the subject – completely indifferent. I can see the benefits, and could not care less about ‘roaches, but my opinion would most likely be different if this was a higher life-form, especially dogs. But wherever you stand on this, both the benefits and the negative ethical connotations are undeniable. It’s the balance that matters, and in most industrial nations, that’s driven by the majority.
The argument I cannot accept is the one where it’s teaching kids to be psychopaths. Yeah, like THAT’S the cause. That’s up there with video games and movies causing violence. It’s not the videos/movies that are the cause, it’s the perspective in which the individual child puts what they see. That is driven mostly by the parent, and how that child is supported during emotional issues. I’d love to see a study on how many well brought up children resort to violence as opposed to those neglected by emotionally distant parents (asuming both sides are given the same stimuli).
That said, I did have an immediate thought for another benefit of this science; We have all come across a very badly behaved dog or child that we would LOVE to see under better control, right? So my idea is to strap electrodes to the owners’, or parents’ heads respectively, and stimulate their feeling of nausea every time their pet/child misbehaves. Perhaps that would get them off their lazy, inconsiderate arses to do something about it.
Of course this issue goes a lot deeper than this blog, but seeing as I’m in the indifferent camp (given my current knowledge of the facts), I’ll leave the debate up to others. I also make no apology for choosing to remain ignorant of what scientists do behind closed doors, I have chosen my battles for now.
Like privacy, this issue will take people on both sides of the fence to make sure we get the innovation we crave, at a price we can ethically afford. I wish them luck.