Philosophy Club - November 4 - Film+Discussion: Gattaca

We already live in a world that screens prenatal embryos for genetic diseases like Down syndrome, spina bifida, sickle cell anemia, etc. Doctors and geneticist can abort, treat, and sometimes even cure diseases in newly born children with the help of early detection. Unfortunately, we also live in a world with unequal access to medical care. Most people live in countries with impoverished or access restricted health care. Thus, their ability to address health problems in not only prenatal embryos, but also their children and themselves is nearly impossible. With money, genetic science, and technological development, the possibility of "designer babies" is quickly approaching. Gattaca points to a near future wherein we find ourselves confronting problems in medical, social, and political ethics. What kind of decadent hierarchically stratified society might we live in when wealth and privilege predetermine our genetic makeup? What role might human will play in such a world?

Wednesday, room 134, South Kedzie

Learn more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca

Introduction
Michael Brown, Graduate Student, Department of Philosophy