Blog # 7 : Allegory of the Cave & False Perceptions of Reality

     There are many instances throughout human history in which people have mistakenly believed something to be a fact and in the end were proven terribly wrong.  It would seem that "The Allegory of the Cave" grasps human behavior perfectly because when people are provided with concrete evidence that disproves something that they believe to be true, they are most likely going to turn a blind eye and ignore the facts. In their stubborn refusal to see the truth they may even accuse you of being crazy or of distorting facts to fit some sinister agenda.

     One of the most striking false persceptions that people have clung to for quite some time is that climate change was just some crazy thoery concocted by tree hugging scientists trying to pass their own agenda.  You had United States senators that would loudly dispute scientific evidence proving that climate change is a result of human behavior.  A major portion of the scientific community has been in agreement that something must be done before the world faces global catashtrophe due to our addiction to gas guzzling cars and just plain inefficient means of consuming energy.  It has taken years for people to finally come to a consensus that there is indeed something wrong with our enviroment.  There have been proven increases in temperatures world wide and glaciers around the world are melting at an increasingly alarming rate.  It seems that just about every other day we encounter articles in our daily newspapers about drastic changes occuring through out our planet that are speculated to have something to do with rising temperatures.  The most shocking thing I've found is that there are still those out there that adamantly refuse to believe the truth of what is happening to our world.  They argue that the planets temperatures have been fluctuating for billions of years and that this is a normal behavior for our planet.  They dispute the consensus of the scientific community as based on biased experiments and studies.  The truth is that people just refuse to change their everyday behaviors.  It is much more expensive to buy that energy efficient Prius or for our country to invest in renewable resources like wind and solar energy.  There are also still developing countries that are extremely dependant on "dirty" energy sources and they are developing so quickly that it's inconvenient and not cost effective to change the way energy is consumed.  In China the government actually reports unsafe breathing levels on a consistent basis and that should be proof enough that many countries are not doing nearly enough.  Forunately there has recently been a change in the attitudes of many on climate change people are now willing to work a little harder to improve our world. Yet there are still many people would rather live blindly in a fantasy where all is well instead of taking the energy to tackle the tough issues that stand before us.

Blog 6: Free Will Or Destiny?

        I believe that Oedipus’ free will enabled him to make horrible choices in his life that led to his demise.  Through out the entirety of “Oedipus the King” you find that Oedipus makes one rash decision after another, never taking a moment to simmer down and reflect on the consequences that might result from what he does or says. Oedipus the man was plagued by a stubborn belief in prophecy and a myriad of flaws such as arrogance and a lack of self-control.   During his mad dash from Corinth in an attempt to escape prophecy Oedipus literally comes to a cross roads in his life in which his ill thought out decision to massacre an old feeble man and his men ultimately leads to fulfilling the prophecy he was trying to escape.

     It is easy to believe in destiny or prophecy because it allows us to explain away our own explicit roles in all the things that go wrong with our lives.  In psychology we learn that people tend to find patterns in random events that have absolutely nothing to do with each other instead of taking a step back to think critically and realize that one thing may have nothing at all to do with the other. For example to this day we find people that read horoscopes in the daily paper and swear that they are one hundred percent accurate.  I believe the act of reading a horoscope itself taints our actions because our behavior changes due to whatever we read.  It’s easy to see why someone may swear that a horoscope was accurate when they spent their entire day trying to heed its advice.  It’s not  a surprise to see that they found something they think relates to the vague words they take as prophecy when in actuality it's just coincidence.  I feel we are the ones that actually give the horoscope or in Oedipus’ case the prophecy power because subconsciously we cause the things that make it true.

     There is an ancient polish proverb that states, “To believe with certainty we must begin by doubting.”  If Oedipus had taken this approach I truly believe that he would have avoided the calamity that engulfed his life.  He never took one moment to doubt the words of the prophet or to ascertain the consequences of his hasty decisions.  The second messenger tells us towards the end of the play, Line 1470 of Oedipus the King, “…brought on by choice and not by accident. What we do ourselves brings us most pain.”  I think this proves that Oedipus brought about his own downfall and that the prophecy was just one of the tools he used to do so.  That quote is as relevant to all of us as it was for Oedipus; many of us mistakenly believe that our actions are the result of our "destiny", socio economic background or controlled by some magic being that grants our wishes and dashes our dreams. When as human beings we have the ultimate power of free will and the ability to think critically even though many lack the wisdom to utilize these gifts to their full capacity.

Blog # 5 Genoism & Gattaca

Edemir Castano

ENGL 101 – 0768

Dr. Vasilieiou                                                                                                                                     

Essay #1

10/02/2012

Genoism and Gattaca

 

     Gattaca is a society where an entire population of people are discriminated against and not considered equals and I believe that makes it a dystopian society.  I feel in our age we deal with a lot of discrimination and inequalities. People all over the world dream of escaping a cycle of poverty they feel trapped in. Any society with the honor of being called a Utopia should have figured out ways to correct this issue and ensure that every person is given equal opportunities to succeed. I will describe why Gattaca can never be considered a utopia and explain what is fundamentally wrong with it as a society.

     Genoism is a word that is very relevant to the people living in Gattacan society.  This word pretty much means certain people are not treated equally or afforded the same opportunities to pursue their dreams due to not being born with a perfect genetic profile. While Genoism in the world of Gattaca is technically illegal it is widely practiced and people born of traditional means are called Invalids, while those conceived by genetically altering their genes with their parents’ best traits are called Valids because they are born in the “valid” way. The fact that they would even sub-group a person as an Invalid itself is divisive and derogatory. To further cement how the naturally born are treated differently they are not even covered by insurance and in many instances cannot attend school because of this. This shows a child born as an Invalid that they don’t belong from a very early age. The classification of Invalid is a declaration that this person is not valid or does not contain as much potential as the person born with a genetically altered DNA code. In fact because Invalids are seen as less capable and less deserving they are not even permitted the same occupational opportunities as Valids. They are forced to do the jobs that no one else wants and even with the laws against Genoism it’s widely accepted and understood that this practice is acceptable.

     The practice of discrimination against Invalids is so prevalent that a black market has sprouted where less successful or handicapped Valids can literally rent themselves out to Invalids so that the Invalid may have better opportunities. An Invalid that goes through this process is known as a “Degene-rate” (an Invalid who opposes their flawed genetic inheritance and borrows the DNA of a Valid to pursue a career they otherwise would not be able to attain). The Valid receives twenty percent of the increased income that the Invalid now makes because of the more attractive gene profile. This entire process is painstaking and very stressful. An Invalid subjects himself to meticulously scrubbing dead skin cells off of his or her body on a daily basis. They must also leave hair and skin samples of the person he or she is renting out around their work place. One eye lash or strand of hair discovered belonging to the Invalid could mean not only the end of their career but incarceration. The employers and citizens of the Gattacan society are methodical in their approach to discovering and verifying the gene profiles of the people they hire and associate with. There are even shops where you can have a person’s entire genetic profile mapped out for you in a matter of minutes with a quick swab and a few bucks. The fact that someone must be subjected to all of this for a fair shake at making something more of their life is unbelievable.

     In Science Fiction and Philosophy, author George J. Annas, hypothesizes that being able to label someone as “other” and sub human enables one to justify killing that person in the name of a just cause paving the way for genocide and war.  In Gattaca the categorizing of people as either Invalid or Valid does just that.  By dividing the population into these two groups the government makes it easy for both sides to build animosity for the other.  The Valids will clearly be tempted to feel superior to the Invalids and exert their dominance over the lesser population.  The Invalids are likely to resent the fact that they are treated poorly and viewed as inferior. It’s easy to envision them lashing out in violent ways causing further distrust and resentment between the two groups.  It wouldn’t come as surprise for a charismatic figure to take the feelings of oppression felt by the Invalids to incite terrorism or war to fight for equal rights.  The world of Gattaca could very well be on the brink of catastrophe.         

     There are some that will say that my declaration of Gattaca as a dystopian society is unfair.  They’ll remind us of the beautiful scene in which Irene takes Vincent to see the solar panels that provide energy to the citizens of Gattaca just as they start to soak up the mornings’ rays.  This futuristic society seems to have a very healthy environment and it also appears that they have managed to limit the occurrence of genetic diseases and disabilities but this still does not make Gattaca a perfect society.  Closer inspection will reveal that Gattaca has actually not completely eliminated disease at all.  Irene who was born genetically altered still has a health problem with her heart.  In one emotional scene she barely manages to keep up with Vincent as they run from police and she cries out that she shouldn’t be running like that because of her condition.  At another moment in the movie Irene seems disappointed when she feels that Vincent’s genetic profile is what everyone claims because in Gattaca her bad heart would probably be enough reason for Vincent to be opposed to a relationship with her if he were really a Valid.  At the end of the movie, the physician that analyzes Vincent’s urine sample confides that his son, “… wasn’t all that they promised.” Showing once again that even being genetically altered doesn’t guarantee perfection. He seems to have a renewed hope for his sons’ future after seeing what a “degene-rate” like Vincent can accomplish even with the odds against him.  These instances prove that science in Gattaca is flawed and its failures cause people to suffer.

     Even omitting these instances that prove the science behind Gattaca was not perfect; would anyone say it is okay to subject an entire group of people to a cycle where their genetic profile is the only factor that dictates their social status and success? That the only chance a person who hasn’t been genetically altered  has at scoring that dream job is by becoming a “degene-rate” and living an arduous existence where they’re always looking over their shoulder and have to give up a major portion of their income.  Never mind what happens when they decide to try to settle down to have a family because no Valid would ever subject their offspring to the potential of becoming Invalids. I find that this sounds more like the caste systems that once dominated the cultures of the ancient world.  A caste system is where a person is born into a specific group and would be in this group for life. It was virtually impossible to achieve any kind of social mobility and many times it was actually illegal to marry or fornicate with anyone outside of your caste. Anyone born into an inferior caste was bound by the whims of their noble superiors. This is why it’s impossible to consider Gattaca a utopian society; it has way too much in common with the flawed practices of the past. A utopia should be a place where everyone and anyone can express themselves and pursue their dreams.

Blog # 4 (Final Draft) Genoism & Gattaca

Edemir Castano

ENGL 101 – 0768

Dr. Vasilieiou 

Essay #1

10/02/2012

Genoism and Gattaca

Gattaca is a society where an entire population of people are discriminated against and not considered equals and I believe that makes it a dystopian society.  I will describe why in my opinion Gattaca can never be considered a utopia and what is fundamentally wrong with Gattaca as a society can never make up for the few things that the society may be doing right. Genoism is a word that is very relevant to the people living in Gattacan society.  This word pretty much means certain people are not treated equally or afforded the same opportunities to pursue their dreams due to not being born with a perfect genetic profile.  While Genoism in the world of Gattaca is technically illegal it is widely practiced and people born of traditional means are called Invalids, while those conceived by genetically altering their genes with their parents’ best traits are called Valids.  The fact that they would even sub-group a person as an Invalid itself is divisive and derogatory. It is a declaration that this person is not valid or contain as much potential as the person born with a genetically altered DNA code. To further cement how the naturally born are looked down upon, Gattacans refer to those born through traditional means as “degene-rates”.  Children born with negative traits or predisposed to certain illnesses are not covered by insurance and in many instances cannot attend school because of this.  In fact because Invalids are seen as less capable and less deserving they are not even permitted the same occupational opportunities as Valids. They are forced to do the jobs that no one else wants and even with the laws against Genoism it’s widely accepted and understood that this practice is acceptable.     The practice of discrimination against Invalids is so prevalent that a black market has sprouted where less successful or handicapped Valids can literally rent themselves out to Invalids so that the Invalid may have better opportunities. An Invalid that goes through this process is known as a Degener (an Invalid who opposes their flawed genetic inheritance and uses the DNA of a Valid to pursue a career they otherwise would not be able to attain). The Valid receives twenty percent of the increased income that the invalid now makes because of the more attractive gene profile.  This entire process is painstaking and very stressful. An Invalid subjects himself to meticulously scrubbing dead skin cells off of his or her body on a daily basis. They must also leave hair and skin samples of the person he or she is renting out around their work place.  One eye lash or strand of hair discovered belonging to the Invalid could mean not only the end of their career but incarceration.  The employers and citizens of the Gattacan society are methodical in their approach to discovering an employee’s or potential mates DNA, there are even shops were you can have a person’s entire genetic profile mapped out for you in a matter of minutes with a quick swab and a few bucks.  The fact that someone must be subjected to all of this for a fair shake at making something more of their life is incredible.     In Science Fiction and Philosophy, author George J. Annas, hypothesizes that being able to label someone as “other” and sub human enables one to justify killing that person in the name of a just cause paving the way for genocide and war.  In Gattaca the categorizing of people as either Invalid or Valid does just that.  By dividing the population into these two groups the government makes it easy for both sides to build animosity for the other.  The Valids will clearly be tempted to feel superior to the Invalids and exert their dominance over the lesser population.  The Invalids are likely to resent the fact that they are treated poorly and viewed as inferior. It’s easy to envision them lashing out in violent ways causing further distrust and resentment between the two groups.  It wouldn’t come as surprise for a charismatic figure to take the feelings of oppression felt by the Invalids to incite terrorism or war to fight for equal rights.  The world of Gattaca could very well be on the brink of catastrophe.     There are some that will say that my declaration of Gattaca as a dystopian society is unfair.  They’ll remind us of the beautiful scene in which Irene takes Vincent to see the solar panels that provide energy to the citizens of Gattaca just as they start to soak up the mornings’ rays.  This futuristic society seems to have a very healthy environment and it also appears that they have managed to limit the occurrence of genetic diseases and disabilities but this still does not make Gattaca a perfect society.  Closer inspection will reveal that Gattaca has actually not completely eliminated disease at all.  Irene who was born with her parent’s best traits still has a problem with her heart.  In one emotional scene she barely manages to keep up with Vincent as they run from police and she cries out that she shouldn’t be running like that because of her condition.  At another moment in the movie Irene seems disappointed when she feels that Vincent’s genetic profile is what everyone claims because in Gattaca her bad heart would probably be enough reason for Vincent to be opposed to a relationship with her if he were really a Valid.  At the very end of the movie, the physician that analyses Vincent’s urine sample confides that his son, “… wasn’t all that they promised.” He seems to have a renewed hope for his sons’ future after seeing what a “degene-rate” like Vincent can accomplish even with the odds against him.     Even omitting these instances that prove the science behind Gattaca was not perfect, is it okay to subject an entire group of people to a cycle where their children and their children’s children will never be able to fulfill their dreams because their genetic profile dictates their social status? That the only chance the Invalids have at scoring a position at their dream jobs are by becoming Degener’s and living an arduous existence where they’re always looking over their shoulder and have to give up twenty percent of their income.  Never mind what happens when they decide to try and settle down to have a family because no Valid would ever subject their offspring to the potential of becoming Invalids. Imagine a world where there are only two kinds of people; the people who have endless potential and in all likelihood will be able to pursue their dreams or you have people that won’t ever have a fair shot at doing anything more than what their society dictates. I find that this sounds more like the caste systems that once dominated the cultures of the ancient world.  A caste system is where a person is born into a specific group and would be in this group for life. It was virtually impossible to achieve any kind of social mobility and many times it was actually illegal to marry or fornicate with anyone outside of your caste.  They were bound by the whims of their noble superiors.  Does that sound like a Utopia to you?   To me it sounds a lot more like Gattaca.

Blog #3 First Draft

Edemir Castano

ENGL 101 – 0768

Dr. Vasilieiou 

Essay #1

10/02/2012

"They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness. They don't say that anymore."

Gattaca is a society where an entire population of peoples are discriminated against and not considered equals and I believe that makes it a dystopian society.  While Genoism in the world of Gattaca is technically illegal it is widely practiced and people born of traditional means are called Invalids, while those conceived through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis with their parents best traits are called Valids.  The fact that they would even sub-group a person as an Invalid itself is devisive and derogatory. It is a declaration that this person is not as valid or filled with as much potential as the person born through an IVF procedure. To further cement how those naturally born are looked down upon, Gattacan’s have taken to referring to Invalids as degene-erates. In fact because Invalids are seen as less capable and less deserving they are not even permitted the same occupational opportunities as Valids. They are forced to do the jobs that no one else wants and even with the laws against Genoism it’s widely accepted and understood that this practice is acceptable.  The practice of discrimination against Invalids is so prevalent that a black market has sprouted where less successful or handicapped Valids can literally rent themselves out to Invalids so that the Invalid may have better opportunities. The valid receives twenty percent of the increased income that the invalid now makes because of the more attractive genetic profile.  This entire process is painstaking and very stressful. An Invalid subjects himself to scrubbing of dead skin cells daily and must leave hair and skin samples of the person he/she is renting out around their work place.  One eye lash or strand of hair discovered belonging to the invalid could mean not only the end of their career but incarceration.   The employers and citizens of the Gattacan society are methodical in their approach to discovering an employee or potential mates DNA, there are even shops were you can have a person’s entire genetic profile mapped out for you in a matter of minutes with a quick swab and a few bucks.  The fact that someone must be subjected to all of this for a fair shake at making something more of their life is incredible.     There are some that will say that my declaration of Gattaca as a dystopian society is unfair.  They’ll remind of the beautiful scene with Vincent and Irene and all the solar panels that provide energy to the citizens of Gattaca.  This futuristic society seems to have a very healthy environment and it also appears that they have managed to limit the occurrence of genetic diseases and disabilities but this still does not make Gattaca a perfect society.  It seems that Gattaca has actually not completely eliminated disease because Irene who was born with her parent’s best traits still has a problem with her heart.  In one heart breaking scene she barely manages to run with Vincent and cries out that she shouldn’t be running like that because of her condition. She even seems disappointed because in Gattaca her bad heart would probably be enough reason for Vincent to be opposed to a relationship with her if he were really a Valid. The doctor that takes Vincent’s urine analysis confides that his son, “… wasn’t all the doctors promised.” He seems to have a renewed hope for his sons’ future after seeing what a degene-erate like Vincent can accomplish even with the odds against him.     Even omitting these instances that prove the science behind Gattaca was not perfect is it fair to subject an entire group of people to a cycle where their children and their children’s children will never be able to fulfill their dreams because their genetic profile dictates their social status? That the only chance the Invalids have at scoring a position at their dream job is by becoming a degener and living an arduous existence where they’re always looking over their shoulder and have to give up twenty percent of their income.  Never mind what happens when they decide to try and settle down to have a family because no Valid would ever subject their offspring to the potential of becoming invalids.  Imagine a world where there are only two kinds of people; the people who have endless potential and in all likelihood will be able to pursue your dreams and then you have people that won’t ever have a fair shot at doing anything more than what their society thinks they are capable of.  Does that sound like a Utopia to you?   To me it sounds a lot more like Gattaca.

Question:  How can I improve my thesis?