The world is ever changing and with it, comes a substantial amount of discoveries. Whether the discovery leads to advancement in society, such as a new vaccine, or sufferin, like the atomic bomb, these advancements raise several questions. How can we tell which discoveries will lead to progress within society? Is it even possible to tell where one discovery will lead us in the future? Most importantly, how ethical are the advancements of such discoveries? These questions must be asked for every breakthrough made as only then can we ever better our society.
One such possible finding can be accredited to Sarah G. Leinwand and Kristin Scott which can be seen via their article “Juvenile hormone drives the maturation of spontaneous mushroom body neutral activity and learned behavior.” Through work with Drosophila Leinwand and Scott found that juvenile hormone signaling during the early sensitive period is what “drives maturation of spontaneous neural activity…and coordinates enhancement of learned behavior.” This discovery gave us great insight on the age associated activity within the brain and their function in regards to learned behavior. They found that the juvenile hormone was a key regulator in Kenyon cells, the cells responsible for generating spontaneous activity in the learning and memory region. This process is seen to occur more as a transition state while a young animal is developing; however, it is a process that is crucial for improved associative learning. The possible developments regarding this finding are notable. While, admittingly, more studies would need to be done to support the following theories, it is remarkable the direction this finding can lead to. If the juvenile hormone is such a crucial factor in the transitional development of activity within the learning and memory brain region, is it possible that those who have defective associative learning did not undergo this step properly? If so, is it possible to treat them with the hormone during the course of their early sensitive period to allow for proper enhancement of learned behavior?
Such a direction in thinking is one case that can fall into the category of human enhancement. Saying this, is it ethical to do such a thing? Is it holistically good for society? An article from ScienceDaily touches on these questions as it introduces a team that was put together in Switzerland to answer how ethical human enhancement is within society. Most technologies that fall into human enhancement are used for illnesses and disorders from birth, however, in recent years, it has been approaching the topic of solely upgrading physical and cognitive abilities for enhanced performance. This is where Daphné Bavelier, a professor at University of Geneva and a member of the previously mentioned team, draws the line; she states that at that point, “you're touching on the very essence of humankind, and that raises an avalanche of ethical questions.” The article develops the argument even further, stating how well-being is mainly seen through one’s independence, competence, and social relations and how this can be used to see if human enhancement is truly for the betterment of society. In terms of autonomy, it speaks of how if human enhancement allows for the improved skills in a certain job, it may become obligatory to do so, something that limits one’s autonomy. Furthermore, it argues that if one has the resources to enhance their skills while others do not, competence is something that would be affected tremendously. Overall, this can hinder social relations which begs the question, are such enhancements really for the well-being of society?
Leinwand and Scott made a fascinating discovery on how development occurs during the early sensitive period of a young animal. Such a finding can be built on for the better and possibly bring amazing technology to life that will benefit one’s society. However, in cases like these, it must always be questioned if such an improvement is truly needed in society, and if so, is there a price that comes with it. Only by answering such questions to the best of our abilities will we ever be able to truly advance our society for the better.
References
Leinwand, S. G., & Scott, K. (2021). Juvenile hormone drives the maturation of spontaneous mushroom body neural activity and learned behavior. Neuron, 109(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.006
ScienceDaily. (2019, February 11). Human enhancement: Is it good for society? ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190211114300.htm.
No comments:
Post a Comment