Comparing Atwood's Oryx And Crake

It is often simpler to settle for an understanding of the world and people around us instead of trying to know the truth. Truth has consequences; by knowing too much, one can lose a friend, learn a deadly secret, or become someone they do not want to be. To express his understanding of himself and the world around him, Crake in Oryx and Crake uses quote-bearing fridge magnets. One very important quote is “We understand more than we know”. It is important to recognize the difference between the terms "understand" and "know"; the Oxford English Dictionary defines "to understand" as to perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of, whereas "to know" is to be absolutely certain or sure about something. There is certainly a difference,

The matters pertaining the animal rights and their suffering for the sake of harvesting their flesh have been an issue with a variety of perspectives. Puppies, Pigs and People, a piece by Alastair Norcross, bring to question the treatment towards livestock and what is immoral about the process. The argument proclaims that since we (humans) do not require meat as part of our diet then the exploit of raising animals for consumption (humanly or not) is immoral. On a counter side of the argument, a philosopher, Carl Cohen, states in his work that animals possess no moral rights thus we have the option to eat them despite if it is immoral or not. In the case of who I believe offers the most optimum solution, I believe Cohen is the most accurate in his summation of animal’s roles in our world. I will argue that people have no obligation to abstain from eating animals, but morally speaking animals should be kept in humane living conditions in order for it to meet our obligations towards these creatures.

The ethical issues with this procedure are not rooted in the utilization of non-human elements to aid the procreative process. So why the moral fuss over the McNamara's method of growing embryos? The heart of the issue was the potential risk to the child. Animal diseases, either known or unknown, can easily be transmitted to humans through xenotransplantation (the use of live animal cells, tissues and organs for transplantation)[9]. There is the potential, both in xenotransplantation and in the utilization of animals in the procreation process, of placing humans at major risk of contracting new types of infectious diseases[10]. Clearly the McNamara’s view and attitude towards creating their offspring may not have been the most ethical way but they would have done absolutely everything to have the one thing they wanted in this world: a child. Do we have a right to have a child at all costs? It should be obvious that our rights must be limited for the sake of others, especially when our own actions would endanger the lives of others[11]. Are there ethical limits to our good, God-given desire to reproduce? There are limits to all our good desires, precisely because these desires are given by God to be coordinated with one another according to His specific design for human beings. When we add to this the fact that our God-given desires are mingled with sinful desires, selfish impulses, and fallen drives, the need for limits becomes even more apparent[12].

People play an enormous component in our lives and the choices we make. In George Orwell's “ Animal Farm” there are several people that show leadership and guidance. The Leaders of Animal Farm start off with good intentions, but as the story goes on it becomes obvious the leaders have grown power-hungry and have become the 'superior' animals, showing that equality does not exist. This source of power has been used by leaders at the expense of their followers for their own personal gain, like Napoleon, whose first sign of corruption occurred early in the book when he seemed to be the main leader of them all.

Socrates once said, “The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance.” While knowledge can be justifiably good through the use of learning how to help others, it can also be horribly dangerous. Society nowadays uses knowledge to classify the people who are worthy of greatness and those who are not. It is in these classifications that the state of human relationships is greatly tested because of inequality. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, Oryx and Crake, two of the main themes are academic importance and the state of human relationships. In the culture that Atwood creates, if an individual does not possess the proper intellect that measures up to societies standards, that individual will be ostracized and deemed worthless, and their social life will

Childhood is a reoccurring theme in Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake. Children often grow up and develop into unique individuals based upon their own morals and values however their later lives are largely influenced by their childhood and those who were around them. Atwood dives into the childhood of two characters Jimmy who is also known as Snowman and a young girl by the name of Oryx. The novel follows the characters back and forth between childhood and adulthood and it is made clear what has influenced the characters in the past to be who they are in their later lives. The evidence is shown in ways such as their occupations, behaviour and even ability to possess and maintain mature relationships.

Turning a blind eye to troubling realities is no new concept to western culture. The materialism, capitalism, and industrialization that is ever so prevalent in today’s “civilized” society has contributed to a separation between consumer and source; a veil of consumeristic ignorance. In agriculture, this is especially true. Similar to how the Nazis dehumanized the Jews, western society has essentially disconnected all empathy between humans and certain forms of life, namely livestock, with the only real reason for doing so being human enjoyment of animal products. Humans have also managed to do the exact opposite with other types of animals, namely pets, by personifying animals and creating one-way emotional bonds.

In his effort to find the right way, when working on Polyface farm, Pollan dreaded being a part of processing the chickens. Yet, he knew that because he ate meat, he needed an education in the reality of killing animals. He could not go on as a meat eater if he was not willing to be fully acquainted with what having meat on a dinner plate entails. By killing a chicken and coming to terms with how that made him feel, he could develop a personal insight into the ethics of eating animals. Pollan intended to continue eating meat but he could not ignore his own ethical quandary when faced with throwing the chicken guts into the compost. He

As I first started to read ‘Oryx and Crake’, I was somewhat skeptical of whether or not I would enjoy reading it. The first chapter confused me with unusual words that I have never heard or seen before. Whenever I read something it is usually a book or magazine that I plan on reading or that is based on actual facts on a certain subject such as history or sports related. This book came as a surprise as I started to read it because it was not as hard to understand as I thought it would be and was actually quite enjoyable. The symbols in this book can mean many different things based on what the reader believes since religion plays a big part in it.

There are problems with both Tom Regan’s and Carl Cohen’s conceptions of the status of animals in society, but, overall, Regan’s is more consistent and applicable to all situations. Cohen also establishes a double standard regarding the definition of a “moral agent,” consequently weakening his argument for the use of biomedical testing on animals. Although I disagree with many of Regan’s ideas about the value of animals, I will not address these points in this paper. I will instead argue for Regan’s position and, in doing so, prove that his argument is more valid than Cohen’s.

Some of the scientific developments in the novel include synthesizing human tissue for use in medical patients. Jimmy’s father says they now have “genuine human neo-cortex tissue growing in a pigoon (56).” Some of the benefits to society would be to be able control heart attacks, Alzheimer, Parkinson’s, and M.S.. This gives new hope to people who would otherwise die or live a paralyzed life. Jimmy’s mother gives an opposing view explaining that scientists are creating a “moral cesspool (56)” and making people with “brains of pigs (56).” She says that instead of giving hope, they are ripping off desperate people

There are some scientists in the US trying to make embryos that are part human and part animal. The goal of the embryos (chimeras) is to help people with a range of diseases. The problem is the ethical issue. Some worry that the making of the embryos takes away from the sense of humanity that humans have. (At the time of the article) The National Institute of Health stopped funding for the project until the ethical issues were taken care of. Even after that, some scientists carried on with funding from other sources. Pablo Ross, a reproductive biologist at UC Davis, showed how he was trying to make a pancreas that could be transplanted into those with diabetes. So there are a few steps that Ross took to make this happen. The first is to remove

George Orwell's Famous novel Animal Farm, views the life of the animals throughout the rebellion, which through the journey of Animal Farm, we are faced with the many themes that are forced upon and ones that influence very largely on some of the animals. We find Manipulation and Deceit is a very often seen one, as well as the Corruption from Strong power and Leadership that is poured out over time. The controlling over the Intellectually Inferior was one that stood above most as well due to habits that the more superior animals had adapted over time as influence from those human.

Throughout history morality has been a topic of intense debate. Innumerable thinkers have devoted immense amounts of time and energy to the formulation of various ethical theories intended to assist humans in their daily lives. These theories set out guidelines which help to determine the rightness or wrongness of any given action and can therefore illuminate which choice would be morally beneficial. And while many of these theories differ substantially, most have at least one common underlying principle, namely that humans deserve to be treated with a certain level of respect. This idea comes from the belief that all humans have interests which are significant enough to be considered, hence no one should impede another

Often people who are rich and powerful do not care about anyone but themselves. In the novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Jimmy lives in a society where he often feels isolated, scared of what experiments may lead to, and the thought of having eternal life. His father is involved with the scientific progress along with his mother who was briefly working along with the father. Jimmy and his friends and family are isolated from the lower class. Jimmy also learns later in his life that people often want to be immortal which can be deadly. Similarly in the novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Kathy finds out that she and her friends are clones made from rich people and her life is made only to provide longer life to the upper class. Kathy and her friends are also isolated from the real world for their whole childhood, while being denied from anywhere but Hailsham, their school, and the cottages they were put in as they got older. Clearly the characters both live in a society that does not care about individuals and those in power create a better world for themselves, resulting in the poor desiring the life of those above them.