Section I A. Radical plastic surgery is by many looked upon as science fantasy. But it appears that we are going to have to adapt ourselves to a society were humans have their body changed surgically in such a radical extend that you do not know whether to amused or afraid. In the excerpt from the article “I’m having my wings done ” we hear about the plastic surgeon Dr. Joe Rosen who does not seem to have any scruples about fx. trough plastic surgery to give a person wings.
Personally I think it is way to weird and I am downright discussed by the descriptions of the surgery in the article where they talk about stretching torso fat and rejigging rib bones and about how the patient afterwards will have full sensation in their new hanging, boned flaps of flesh. But at the same time though I find myself being partly convinced when I read about how the brain, according to apparently respected Dr. Joe Rosen, adapt to create neural maps for new body parts, so they thereby become a “natural” part of body. But just because something is scientifically possible and explainable should therefor it be acceptable? Dr.
Rosen appears to think so. And sadly the article is probably right in its comment on that if the technology and the will to experiment exist it is almost impossible for even the most overwhelming ethical qualms to prevent these surgeries from taking place. This comment leaves for me a feeling of magtesloshed and aergrelse, the same felling I could imagine many people would get from reading the excerpt from the article “Gene cheats aim to conquer the Olympics” This excerpt tells about how athletes with a single injection can manipulate with their DNA in favour of their athletic abilities. I already think that it is very wrong for athletes to take steroids and such as they already do, but to mess with your DNA, that it down right sick and in this context, as the article mentions, also the end of real competition and sportsmanship as we know it, because of the fact that this can not be detected through tests. So these people are not just affecting themselves they are also ruining it for, in this case, other athletes who believe in competition through human capability, in its original sense. Another situation where you affect others by making a use of the technological advantages is commented in the tekststykke “A modern Baby.” Here a young mother to be talks about the problematikken omkring genetic counselling and amniocentesis during a pregnancy.
Should you just let the child grow on its own, and give it the “right” to life no matter what could be wrong with it, or should you use your possibilities to create as perfect a child as possible? Is it right to make disci sions and take actions which affects another life in such a huge way when the human being who is the object of the whole menagerie can not stand up for itself and say no. In that context it would be appropriate to ask the vaesentlige question of why people voluntarily want to put their body through such unnatural changes as we have seen in the first articles. In “I’m having my wing done” Jim Rose, the head of a “freak show”-circus explains that people do it for the attention, because they fell overlooked and maybe have felt this way for a very long time, and that the radical change of appearance that way makes them happy because of the attention which comes along with it. Most people who do not know of this problem often come to the conclusion that these people are sick, and should find another way of dealing with their low selfasteam, take a pottery-class or something. But should we not just let these people do with there body what they wish, and if we do not like to look at it or hear about it, we should look the other way and face the fact that just because a few people find this possibility the solution to all there problems does not mean that the whole world will be running around with wings and tales by the end of next week. And you could actually use the same justification in connection with the athletes.
If they feel such a huge need to win that they are willing to destroy their own body then let them. Of curse it will not be the same to watch the sports any more, but the real reason why people tiger aft stand is the same as with the above mentioned. They are afraid that the tendency will spread. But just because super athletes might choose to tinker with their DNA, it does not mean that our children in the future will have to get DNA injection to be on the local sucker- team. The last excerpt “Something New” puts the whole thing in perspective. In this science fiction story from 2000 we read about a society where people have numerous surgeries where they change the appear ens of their face and body as we change our clothes, and have sex via “Virtual Reality”-equipment.
Kort sat a very superficial world in eternal stri be for perfection, where no one if ever satisfied with their looks and real touch is a shame full thing. Now you could imagine that the generations before the people in the story felt that they would be happier if they changed their appearance, but were does it end. When do we stop being natural human and become artificial surgical (kiruriske) art-pieces. (KUNST STYKKER. ) We can se the weirdness of the society in the story now, but then again if you had told people in the 17 th century that it in the future it would be almost normal to have fat sucked out from under your skin, and having silicone implanted in your breast, el. harpasaetning.
I bet they would think that was pretty weird to. Section II 1. a) Gradually, accordingly, literally. Acclaimed, new, mouldable. b) When a sentence is konjuktiv were is used instead of was in 1.
and 2. person entail, in sentences beginning with if. c) Is = was Works = worked Has been = had been Is = was Will be = would be Believes = believed Will be = would be Graft = grafted Is = was Adapt = adapted Create = created d) Rosen said that if he were to give you wings, you would develop, literally, a winged brain. Our bodies change our brains, and our brains are infinitely mouldable.
2. a-b) Robots that provide sexual companionship are likely to become common in the future. Reportedly prototype models have already been developed in Japan. The future “sexbots” will have human like features and will be soft and pliant. Sexbots will contain vibrators to provide tactile stimulation and sound systems to provide love talk. They could certainly change human relations in many ways..