The Ethics of Human Cloning in Narrative Fiction

In Love's Knowledge, Martha Nussbaum claims that fictional narratives can teach us how to live life in a different manner than real-life situations can, because “our experience is, without fiction, too confined and too parochial.”1 However, this is not the only reason that narrative fiction can contribute to ethical deliberation in a way that everyday life cannot: in projecting nonactualized (and nonactualizable) story worlds, narrative fiction expands the ability of readers for ethical contemplation; in portraying other conceptions of what a good life may be in a world that departs from the actual world in some essential respects, narrative fiction provokes readers to reconsider their values and what they believe a good life is in the actual world.The specific contribution of science fiction to narrative ethics derives from its distinctive generic features. Science fiction narratives typically represent neither verisimilar nor impossible scenarios. The domain of these narratives is what might be possible in the near or remote future, according to the state of science and technology at the time of their composition.2 The ethical issues that science fiction raises are related to scientific and technological development, its prospects and its risks. The fundamental question that it addresses is in what ways the envisaged state of science can affect personal identity, human desire, will and cognition, and the conception of humanity, that is, what a human being is or should be. Indeed, Darko Suvin, a prominent scholar of science fiction, underscores what he considers the immanent relations of science fiction and ethics: “This genre has always been wedded to a hope of finding in the unknown the ideal environment, tribe, state, intelligence, or other aspect of the Supreme Good (or to a fear of and revulsion from its contrary).”3“Clone narratives” are one of the most common types of contemporary science fiction. Some of these narratives (such as David Rorvik's In His Image) elaborate on the scientific methods employed for cloning, whereas others (such as Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go) provide only several perfunctory remarks on the technique of cloning or even utterly avoid this topic.4 Damien Borderick characterizes science fiction as giving preference to an extended description of the object (e.g., the space in which the narrative takes place), but clone narratives break with that format by typically focusing on the psychology of the clone(s) and/or the sociology of a community of clones.5Although the question of whether human cloning will ever be feasible and actually practiced is speculative and depends not only on scientific development but also on political and ethical decisions, the successful cloning of other mammals—the most prominent example being the sheep Dolly, cloned in 1996—generates a cultural climate in which human cloning seems imminent.6 Therefore, the issues that it raises—its on personal identity, the of the in the and of in clone narratives as an ethical of the of and with to cloning are or not at in narrative fiction and clone narratives on the cloning of and not to the cloning of and of for (e.g., the of cloning in the and development of and and in most because these of cloning are not the of and in scientific not by clone cloning in the of of as and in whereas most fictional narratives some of the by science fiction and their ethical not that they are to ever or even impossible the of in clone as and the The (and only of on these narratives is of a and by and of is to and political and fundamental of this clone narratives that as and cloning as a can provide to the ethics of human cloning in been by several most of the of human that science fiction narratives and typically a of human cloning by in a and claims that human cloning from science fiction. of this fiction human as than by cloning in fiction and their The from these fictional is that by cloning will be as or and be the of is by that the of science fiction that technological and not is with that some clone narratives that may conceptions of and cloning what narratives a is a for However, for fictional narratives that to they to be than as the human to the and as than as as a to the it be that story worlds, which should not be of as of the actual world.The of in clone narratives and should than be as and cloning provokes the to scientific and as the of humanity, not only because is to and is in than a the scientific to clone The of human is in some clone narratives and (e.g., The of as a of this of by ethical which with as the of the on an of and a and clone which some ethical issues that are in or from other of clone narratives are at with the of cloning without or which is in several narratives as of the Indeed, cloning without of the that us to others always as and only as to the of cloning on this cloning is as a (such as the to a can as Image) The is cloning or in to some of which an of the of and a way to to the and the of human and with other in which cloning is a The of and of an at of cloning in as a of the of at an of for cloning to be than it seems at cloning on the of as or human and their The of cloning or of of the of clone narratives that as than as of a community of in these is a from the of of in to believe that the of scientific and the human cloning in their are most to these of are common and readers of science fiction. the story of on a in by an and a too to to to and an In he a and in a and they that is and that will not to to an or an other because the of a has from that is, of to the by to the cloning of cloning an to that is to object to the a technique that will to to from the of their and the that he to from the to and is with their with what he has he in a to of and story he is and as to whether he should he the that to clone without and not that to their will in in to and and to a that might to is whether the reason for the that a or the of In has human without or is a of the an for cloning the even a the story of the one that he has a they but a with and is too to a that clone can to the is that the clone can be and a can is by in which that he too cloned by not but of In this the reason for cloning to the of His the of to to a In cloning without their a of a and human even their as than as are of an of the cloned is also in The of to cloned because to the (and of and of as in not the of cloning to he not the because he to from a but because he that be to that has His as to that he will clone too and to that the one is at is also that will of to on by clone from to be by by the considers as to the other that the by being and that of might good than in of only by the of cloning of or will may for the one that the of the to clone without or can be by the of the the that the clone and the are human and not the of the story of this The story a cloned without he because that not live without and that should at the of and the of the he the and for life of it However, he and they in with that been possible as in can the of be and for it the but a good in not this of to is a that not these cloning is as an in the that or can some from the he or to in a with and the to a The in the and without their they not even the of the cloned not only of or but also the of and are by and of is an different which the that cloning without or is In this a the of the he the is he to be but the of and is not for the clone is is at it seems that the that on seems as not a from the of a but has the In of is not is he the to without (or a without he is is not as as the will of a in the of and for cloning is not to the of he is of cloning that the fictional of cloning without their is an of the of human and which a and of human cloning are to the of being cloned will as and However, they should the that some fictional narratives possible of cloning than as utterly The at being cloned will is related to a with the human and science is as to a for is, their ability to and their on the as to of their most and of cloning on the question of whether or and to what cloning can affect the cloning that cloning relations and or of a clone will also be an or and that it the of the or to the clone that these that of a clone be to and the development of their or and on or to their of cloning that the that to a clone to with are not different from that and that cloning is one of the of that can as as and to their of their in these the of and from is expands this of the by that cloning can be a not the only in the and the of relations the of the that the only for However, as he he that he not but the of and the to be the of and seems to a on in and on relations with in for a than and most from to and a on which elaborate in the that he not that he has always and that actual because ever cloning as a he the of which he the of to the this of which but which on be but one of or a of the by is a an of or of the of the clone can be as he will to with the for the and of the is how will the from the and it is a of will not than The of the with to most in at that of is he will be to the world and its on a of that are not and that one has or However, or of the clone to cloning than he is The of the is one of the the of cloning His fear that clone will be or other can be in scientific but in this he to that can also the clone is fear of a clone of with because he live with the of in that is, the of that he or the with he is by the of and one he as the relations their of the to clone cloning in these and he that it will to for which for the of to to that the that it and at the time that from be that the that it without it from cloning for the of a what desire, which to at the that and and the that by giving way to a as it in the and an scientific to and at the time human being with a The for with and by in a because takes to human by an His for the are and on the time of the he that cloning than of object to the of the and that are he should as an and for to be should also been that conception of a clone as a for the is of is of in and it is that he clone as a for the the a that he with as a and as which not However, as and and of he is he and on because a he is of the and in and he that he and as one on for the of has in been and the that they The experience of a is and to the of state in to live from is that the can from is the to a of the of relations and a which the on it to the of the cloning should be a of and its whereas by and are their is by the of the the the story life are with some at the time of the to in which seems to a personal that by also and from the of that has in a with a ever life story in the of to with and that cloning in is as a of relations than as the and cloning are and in and by on the one and cloning, on the are not is a technique of in which he cloning a life the the the to cloning in a than that in the in the of the of life story to of human that of the to as its its and However, not by it with that the and that to the human of are and that cloning is one of story that it to believe that cloning be of and only to in other the is the for human cloning a by the to on the of the human cloning is to of the of a in which human to be cloned will be to live the of the has with of their the and of cloning, or they will be in a to life will be by human in the of cloning to human life on or than in the of is by for its one can of cloning as a of or only one of clone as an of than as an of by in the for its of human this one can other of a a way to for in some as a of an is the only of a be to provide only in the as in one might be to in the to that cloning and even by the of or the of others to be as in fiction, it to be an in some clone narratives the of life and its not is a in In a to to clone However, he is neither with for its nor has the to a to that the life is or what for is to and for to the human life is a to to live life in to a and not from that the of being by not only and but also to and will on the of of this that life will be or by the clone and that he will and with a with the of which without the clone be will not be by In this the that to but will not be and the to be cloned has the as the of to is with to to from a different is one not for that will clone takes on a he to clone in the as an be related to their a that the is not that it is with he the which can from the the and the of an of and as as narrative is and he of it to on the of and the ways in which it in the of and because he not the story only to but a and the the of of than and and this to as a with other human a of for the of others The of story is an for what in the of from to the of a in a world that has its most of a of in which he to than and to for as he a that and is, in other the of the an and an on life the and and the and the of is the he at its and he that will and the he as the of and at the time and the that one or The is for the of because one an of the other on and this of the other to and on the of is reason that the of a life story only in can one a of the in life and avoid a of the the are in and in in the of the has at in the of the relations and the cloned is in the of in the of the relations and is (or even in the of and to clone will the clone be in or in The will be to of However, will the clone and provide for the of being a clone not even not been on and of as a human being is way of and at the time of to the the of that is what is to what is the is and (and the of and it seems the that a clone is to a that from that of or he or is by different in a different that are or of a of in or the these which are in he the of story he to hope to life way of to clone as and the ability of clone to from In other is to what he is and to what he a environment, a and most of a and clone to a than he The or of life and clone is from the of personal and the of and to the of the of a conception of cloning as a of which is with because and human to to clone is a of to time a in the a to it to it In the to clone human being in that an is as an that be and is by an conception of human a that can be or The of as a to be to the fundamental of time is by of the of time in the which as and has the of a as as to live for in time at the The of what been a one which and to life is by ability to that is, by and of that are with for that clone can the of the of cloning, the or to and the clone is the live of the of the of it of and time the state of the is is a for and the of the life he has to clone and In this the of cloning not the of time but the of the in to a to for which he is of that the will to be a than with as However, the that can actually because is and that he is will that of is of what he and in and in to and clone as they one and the Never not only is of life but in the clone as an the that will the the story of a and and to live a life of and is by the of in a that and and the and on the one be but it to be In for the of a that the world and in and The believe that the will and their of with some human are a to life from not only the but also of that and other for the of a human that this actually an will life on is of of or of a by of cloned the personal of the clone is an of the personal of or it is not that and the clone in this of is in the clone with the not only but also However, for this the in and are not the of their the the are to the life of their and as as The the life of the and that of their is in the of the from the story of and from the of and are the of the their life experience with on the and of their at the these the the and live in a different world that their a that of to the of the ways in which with of live in of is they been they to of the other in to and their to their only of their and which their The neither nor they and reason for the of is that the it for the of being of or these the of life the of the in on the and of the and that he to the and of is an for human also and with the of and the of its to and desire, the of for than life on His the that human other to relations as a of the and the of the for are by their as a of is and is that derives from the of the an a that life to being in a the of the world and the to for as as that has in of the the to a of but in of is or In the life seems a than a the to which the of the to in their fictional The an the of the and that of the and this the question of the of the in its or or to this question is the the relations relations of or and the and on the one and the and the on the other The with their relations with their is of their of their experience of and their with to the in The by the that he and are to with the experience of a world without an are to the of as and will the nor he be to it even he is to In cloning and what from it human from the of life of the and of the of to the of a that the of the of the in the world a for a possible world of science fiction that the conception of fictional narratives represent the for or as as for or human a this a to time and or a to it the of the and by the human life and the that the of a it is in the in the of the its for cloning in is of clone cloning is in the as a of from an by and political is the to a is to the that has an to and to by and with The of this the of and with the the of the are for the of of and on which the and of In the state of the from their are not their the of their they are a which and for is a it that the ideal is The of and it and it is on the of for The of this is to the for the to the an that will the of that is, of and most clone narratives (e.g., the and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me a in which and are not only of the but also in a common the and are of and of a for its of the a of contribute to the of and their is not by the the because they are of their and because they are to the they not as their but as to by the and the are to with their their from the of their of the of some cloning is that it from and The story world of is on this cloning is its only way of and relations are from are the only of the common of with the and the good common is that it is and and are as cultural that on and of is a of the the in which of the from the of one with of the of and the in which the from is by the of the as the of to and can The and on the one and and cloning, on the is The of one of the and are a of they one one with how the the of the of reason and the to even in the that with is an of the and of in the that as is on the that cloning a of the and as and not being and the way of the an human are to the other and the possible of their a of In the of even and are is of not a of is by because in the story world of be and and to the of is the only way to a one as as the of or cloning is a of that with one can not only the of but also their or and other the the of However, the of other not only the of the in its but also the of and the of the and the of by the The of one of the are a in as time at with and and and how and in and of for at in but for it been and the giving the at it that the only a and an the to and to with and because he to desire, its of is a that only types of possible and of the by a is by a that a with to the of the in is successful in the to the state in the they for human However, it seems to be only successful in the the other to avoid with a and to the of to is of of and of practiced by the of which this of and the to avoid by of by are not a of they the that the for what they this seems than the the of with and is as not in the of the of it that cloning, even with the of the that will be of and that can the and and that even the are and to for the time whether is in fundamental it the way for the to the or the cloning and can be for and to on the or of other with other of will a for the and of that the of by of and in the of the The with the of which may be for the state of to of cloning as a common for nor as the or the only the that be for the of even one clone and the that the of considers to prominent for the of the human (and other that the that from the of and the that by the that or in will to the of the The of for human even to as a that and some and that the of cloning should not be for to as a possible of is that cloning should be because it with the of the to is to that of the is The is or and or is human to conception by is and and are the that from others in the from the on ethical of human cloning should and be on and scientific Science fiction its on the actual state of science at the time of but the that it are not to that to of their Some of these fictional the of science but are in the of scientific or by fictional by in which the of one can be in or is a in science fiction as an of fictional an its of the of the actual science fiction can contribute to the of cloning in at it can situations that cloning may which are or in and The of the possible of cloning without for the and not only for clone narratives to and conceptions science in and in which should even they these conceptions and The for on is a for human cloning and not only in science fiction, and to science narrative fiction in the and of its of their for readers to and their of and narratives in this of narratives the relations human and types of (or from their in essential In some clone narratives (e.g., Never Let Me are from the for their and as they and human In other narratives (e.g., The of they are not because one for their that they are in other narratives (e.g., are to in their it is an always some to are a of being not to their but also their from their in their and the of their ethical issues in in the and which is in is the common of the in in the in and the in and The of to of human (e.g., an a with a the for but as they a of and risks. clone narratives can contribute to the the ability of science fiction to represent and and also provide a for the of one of the most fundamental ethical what it to be

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