Ethical Issues In Jurassic Park

People from all walks of life face many ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas have consequences. Our worldview determines how we deal with these dilemmas, and guides us to the right decisions. In this essay, I will examine an ethical issues through my Christian worldview. I will also present other viewpoints, and compare them to mine.

One field of genetic science which is crucial in society today is medicine where cloning is now possible. The need for moral reasoning is essential in this field because with greater power society must “[recognize] not only the limits of our knowledge but also our vulnerability to being misguided” with an evolving world (Dalai Lama 140). Humans have kept high moral responsibilities over the century when faced with new developments in knowledge. The Dalai Lama suggests that “our technological capacity has reached a critical point” during the past decade and the gap between knowledge and human ethics when making decisions has grown farther apart as new biogenetic science has arose (133). The issue is not whether

Allan Grant, the main protagonist in the book, is hired by Hammond to prepare them for the dangerous life in Jurassic park. When the computer that controls the cloning of the dinosaurs crashes without anyone in the park knowing about it, the dinosaurs were accidently set free. Hammond then invites his family and friends to see what he has been building for many years. When the dinosaurs attacked them they were in shock because the lizards have previously killed the babies living in Costa Rica. When Grant finds out about this attack, he frantically heard about it and immediate runs and tries to help and save everyone. Grant is a scientist who knows everything there is to be known about the history of dinosaurs. The dinosaurs got loose when he starts to invest millions of dollars and many years into the project of cloning these manifested dinosaurs. His love of ancient creatures seems sincere to many people that met Hammond for the first time because he used his determination to turn his ideas to a major profit. He let greed take over life. Later in the book when Hammond claims to have created dinosaurs for children of the world but he states that only the rich could come to the park. All

In 1993, Steven Spielburg’s Jurassic Park introduced the concept of bringing extinct species back. In 2003, a team of Spanish and French scientists took Spielburg’s movie to the next level—they successfully brought back the Pyrenean ibex, a species of wild goat (93). With increasing rates of extinction, the scientific community is debating whether or not this process of de-extinction should continue to be pursued. Although it would be remarkable to visit an exhibit featuring a saber-tooth tiger or woolly mammoth, these animals went extinct for a reason; humans should not bring back extinct animals, but instead use the funding for more practical purposes.

Hammond states this to Dr. Wu in the chapter, Bungalow. In this quote Hammond refuses to face the reality of how unsafe his park is, even though countless amount of evidence is set in front him. Not to mention he also refuses to believe that the dinosaurs have found a way to breed despite of the scientists’ precautions. Between his stubbornness and old age we observe that Hammond is actually out of his mind. Later on, after the island is in pieces and most of the staff is dead, Hammond still believes that he still/should build another Jurassic Park. Though in the beginning the novel vilified Nerdy, Hammond emerges as the real villain of the story with his abuse of the scientific power. This quote helps you understand who the real protagonist and real antagonist are. Nerdy was just a pod in the author’s game, to figure whose fault is. (Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Chapter Bungalow)

The central ethical dilemma of many of the films and stories we looked at this semester hinged on the question of whether or not man should employ his knowledge of genetics and science to engineer or revive a species that had become extinct, usually due to natural processes. As a science major myself, it was interesting to explore these themes and the scenarios presented in each individual piece of literature. Questionable ethics run rampant in stories such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Jurassic Park. “None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there

Life extensions are critically dependent on futuristic medical advancements. However, a strong noble compass is needed to ensure scientific advancements do not cross moral ethics of life. Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, and the movie Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol, propose technologically advanced societies that challenge ethical and moral views. Although Brave New World and Gattaca relate in genetic discrimination, they differ in technology’s powers and limits, as well as the resiliency of the human spirit.

Jurassic Park is an American authorization centered on a catastrophic endeavour to create theme park of emulated dinosaurs who escapes imprisonment and riot on the human characters. In 1990, Universal Studios bought the rights of the novel, written by Michael Crichton, followed by the release of the movie adaption in 1993. Science versus ethics, the main theme of the film, is very polemical and not commonly argued by the media, making the film even more appealing. Steven Spielberg successfully creates a cliff hanger making the viewer entertain and thrilled. To create the unendurable suspense, Steven Spielberg has used different type of shots and angles, colours and light and acting, which all contributed to build the tension in the movie.

I rarely quote movies in the discussion forums because I usually find it unprofessional. However, I am going to make an exception because the quote is so pertinent to our discussion. There is a great quote form the movie Jurassic Park. John Hammond and Dr. Malcom argue over the ethics of cloning dinosaurs. Hammond suggests people need to give him credit for his cloning accomplishment. Dr. Malcolm replies, "your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they

Jurassic Park was created by rich men and visionary scientists. The base thought for the park itself is unbelievable and achievable all together in one crazy idea. The park itself is off the coast of Costa Rica, on an island called Isla Nublar. We are able to see that in just a few short years, with the money and drive from InGen and its founder, John Hammond, Dr. Henry Wu, chief geneticist, is able to create and oversee living, breathing dinosaurs for a zoological theme par. When John Hammond approached Dr. Wu, he wanted him to do something so cutting edge; that nothing of its kind has been done before. The author goes so far in the introduction of the novel to state that the bioengineering firms have no regulation, no one looking over their shoulder to oversee their work. There is no one to tell them that they shouldn’t be playing god and basically they were in the an environment where, when it came to what was ethical and what wasn’t, no one was there to say. No one was around to say should they create the genetically engineered dinosaurs in the first place. These dinosaurs already had their spotlight on the planet, and by bringing them into an era that no one fully understood them was an accident waiting to happen. When you introduce a new species into a new habitat, there are chances

Today, our society is changing so fast that we barely even notice it’s happening. Soon enough, our society will be able to do what the scientists in Jurassic Park did, and create copies of our “once exist” giants. But while science and technology evolves, we should be the ones to bring up the question not “if we can,’ but rather, “should we?” Dinosaurs are ravenous and dangerous creatures that could tear us apart into pieces, but if properly contained, could be a magnificent sight for many to view. Nature removed the dinosaurs from our planet by selection, but we can use our superior intelligence to play god through biological manipulation. In an article by Thomas Sumner and Bjorn Carey, they discuss the ethics of reviving dead species such as the ones in Jurassic Park, and denote that the technology is in our near future. “Twenty years after the release of Jurassic Park, the dream of bringing back the dinosaurs remains science fiction. But scientists predict that within 15 years they will be able to revive some more recently extinct species, such as the dodo or the passenger pigeon, raising the question of whether or not they should – just because they can” (Sumner and Carey).

The society has evolved over the decades. Medical advances, greater technologies, better understanding of the world around us, the sky is the limit! The progression of a society is astounding from where it was just twenty years ago. One is able to do things that the forefathers would have never dreamed! Science has discovered ways to travel to the moon and back, reach some of the deepest depths of the oceans and discover new species, and drive hybrid cars. The achievements of today’s society have reached a new high; however, with great achievement comes great questions of ethics.

Can science go too far when it equips man with tools to manipulate life? Some of the underlying ethical dilemmas presented in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are similar to ones we struggle with today, such as selective abortion. Shelley’s doomed creature mirrors the devastating result of bringing an unwanted offspring into the world, then shirking responsibility for it thereafter. The practice of playing God and choosing who does and who does not “earn” life ultimately results in profound negative moral consequences.

Michael Crichton managed to use dinosaurs and Jurassic Park to reflect on contemporary world – Humans and their environment. In the park, we are treated to powerful and epic, dinosaurs portrayed are fierce and intolerable; but, in contrast, we’re shown an epic scene with peaceful magnificent dinosaurs grazing. Human beings are different in the world; they differ ideologically, by culture, religion, and race. The differences sometimes can lead them to fight. The fighting is believed to settle old scores; Michael Crichton has used Velociraptors, T-rex and Tyrannosaurus vicious dinosaurs to depict the intolerant human community, while

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton demonstrated many dinosaur characteristics and behaviors. The dinosaurs were fictionally characterized to appeal to the readers. By examining the dinosaur’s appearance and behaviors of dinosaurs such as the duckbilled dinosaur, velociraptor, hypsilophodontids, dilophosaurs, Triceratops, apatosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, stegosaurs, and maiasaurs distinguished whether the evidence existed in the field of paleontology. The behaviors and characteristics of the dinosaur are divided into three factors as behaviors that were supported, not supported, and no evidence to support or refute the behavior.