Genetic Engineering In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

Genetic engineering is the alteration of genetic material in living things with the aim of producing new substances or creating new functions (Lerner). In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley explores possible outcomes of extreme genetic engineering. He predicts a world, The World State, where everything about a person is determined in a flask. However, Huxley only allows for a very limited view of the opportunities that accompany genetic engineering; Huxley fails to realize how much mankind can be elevated by the simple manipulation of genes. Genetic engineering would allow for an elevation of the human race, through predetermining an individual’s characteristics. In The World State embryos are manipulated in a variety of methods. A possible method is “ "Reducing the number of revolutions per minute," Mr. Foster explained. "The surrogate goes round slower; therefore passes through the lung at longer intervals; therefore gives the embryo less oxygen. Nothing like oxygen-shortage for keeping an embryo below par.” ” (Huxley). The better the conditions,the more likely the result will be an Alpha or a Beta. The harsher the conditions for the embryo, the more likely it is for the result to be a Delta or an Epsilon. The median of the system being Gammas, who also represent a sort

Genetic engineering enables scientists to provide individuals lacking a particular gene with correct copies of that gene. If and when the correct gene begins functioning, the genetic disorder may be cured. This procedure is known as human gene therapy.” Many agree that if we can fix and genetic mutations during pregnancy, that we should. However, not all agree that we should decide some characteristics. But if we have the ability to perfect the human genome, we should. If we can fix the genome for baldness, we should; if we can change intelligence, we