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Dinesh D'souza Staying Human Summary

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In Dinesh D’Souza’s “Staying Human”, D’Souza contemplates the technological advances of the biotech revolution. He considers the effects of this revolution, through its benefits and hindrances upon society. D’Souza also contemplates the role parents will play in this society. Because of advances in biotechnology, parents assume the role of creator and attempt to design children according to their will. When utilizing biotechnology, parents determine the values they believe constitutes a “model Child” and attempt to assume the role of creator. D’Souza states, “It is one thing to take a person’s given nature and given capacity, and develop it, and quite another to shape that person’s nature in accordance with one’s will” (D’Souza, 2010, para. …show more content…

Perhaps, in some cases, these will do some good; others may end up doing injury. But at least these people have, through their free choices, done it to themselves (D’Souza, 2010, para. 23).
Attempting to fit their children into the role of “Model child”, parents employ bio-technology. They then utilize bio-technology to alter their children before they are even born, taking away the children’s will and putting themselves in the position of designer.
Bio-technology affects the entire existence of the child that undergoes “designing”. Through bio-technology parents choose the genes of their children and attempt to replace the creators design. D’Souza quotes leading techno-utopian Lee Silver who states, “The human mind is much more than the genes that brought it into existence” (D’Souza, 2010, para. 17). In changing the child’s genetics, bio-technology changes the child’s entire future existence. The parents determine the traits the child will exhibit and their capabilities. However, the human mind is vast and expands beyond the limitations of the genes which brought it into being. Through bio-technology parents attempt and succeed in changing their child, but this does not change the fact that humans exist as unique individuals. D’Souza states, “We are molecules, but molecules who know how to rebel.” When “designing” their offspring, parents forget that their children will mature into their own persons, with unique dispositions and futures in which they will decide their own

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