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Vladyslav Naumov
Professor Glenn Collins
ENGL115
10/23/15
Responsibility When Changing the Nature of Things
Why is the essence of anything, described as its nature? When the nature of something is
discussed its often talked about as an inherent characteristic, as if it was always there. However,
when the nature of something changes, should we alter our perception of it and see it as
somethings new nature? Or do we judge it by the previous model and consider the change based
off that? The models based off how people see nature is stagnant, there does not seem to be room
for change. We have preconceptions about what something is and frame our views based off that,
so its important to realize that sometimes our preconceptions need revision. Just as we can
change when we are presented with new information, so does nature. Nature changes constantly
and it should not be seen as a picture of something but instead as a video. (Both metaphorically
and physically)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b1B30FeYOE
Change happens whether or not it is wanted. Since change is not always willed, many times it is
fought against. However, one can only work with this change to create a better nature. Even then,
the nature that we attempt to create may not be what we envisioned. The effects could have
unintended consequences and create something worse than before. Humans constantly change
the nature of things around us. Many times, humans intended goals are warped by unintended

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consequences that occur and forces us to reevaluate what we change and how we act; whether
the changes are envisioned future technologies, or real like the human impact on the
environment, it becomes important to hold on to the core of humanity and refuse to let new
changes from new technology to separate modified and original human models and find ways to
mend any issues that arise.
Envisioned problems that could potentially occur with technology seem to add on to the
issues of the todays society. In the movie GATTACA, a persons genes determine every aspect
of their lives after scientists are able to genetically alter babies to obtain the best genes from both
parents. This creates a new type of discrimination in which person with more genetic defects is
limited in what they can achieve due to society. While the intended purpose of the advancement
was to improve the health of the population the outcome was an elite class that directly hinders
others on the basis of their genes.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZppWok6SX88
Ideas meant to help people can become warped and used as a new basis of discrimination.
However, one must consider whether or not this issue lies in the change of peoples physical
nature or the lack of change in the nature of their cultural mindset of a persons worth. In this
world the cultural shift emphasized genetic superiority which eventually determined a persons
worth in societys eyes. If instead genetic manipulation was seen as a human right since it meant
the health of their child, perhaps there would be fewer issues. However, maybe there would be
families that do not believe in genetic manipulation and so keep their children natural, and then
the issue would still exist. Since new knowledge of the advancements impact is known, it is
crucial to then remedy the advancement with a different type of change. To remedy the issue,

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changing the perspective of society toward non-genetically modified people would be crucial.
The change would have to aim toward acceptance and equality where genetic testing is outlawed
and enforced and people themselves recognize the potential contributions of those not genetically
modified. Otherwise, the modified humans only take with them a sense of otherness that is
derived from the worst of humanity. It is necessary for humans to consider the impact of
technology and advancement on how they shape their own natures.
Black Mirrors Be Right Back illustrates how human inventions do not always fulfill
their intended purpose and creates only issues if used incompetently. In the episode, a woman
had a husband that died and after she realized she was pregnant she bought an android to cope
with the loss. The android was given memories of that the husband kept on social media as well
as home videos. However, the woman still felt how foreign the android was compared to her
deceased husband. She craved connection to him but when she attempted to fill the void with the
machine that had incomplete memories which harmed her as opposed to its intended purpose of
comfort. Sometimes humans lack the scope of the situation to properly grasp what kind of
change we make unless it is too late. Humans created the android, giving it intelligence to
process information, have sentience and seemingly consciousness, but then bound it to serve a
human. Besides just the unintended effect of emotional pain, it also created a new class that is
considered lesser than humans. The human original model created a modified version of them
but instead of allowing its growth as its own organism, created slavery. The human story has its
mistakes and continues to make more, with this advent, humans regress back into their dark
history of institutionalized slavery over a living, thinking creature. While many depictions of
advanced android technology shows humans as the enslaved species, in this story the human take
the place of the android and enslaves something, in their eyes, inferior to them. The

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technological change is then allowed to stay corrupted by the end and is not remedied by cultural
reform. If competently used, the tech could provide companionship without subjugation. An
android could be given rights and free-will like all humans is allowed. Without the enslavement
it mends some issues of human interaction since they could possibly feel foreign and strange due
to their dependence on the human. Further, the policy of obtaining an android might include that
the subject being mimicked must input as much information as possible and the android cannot
be held against their own will, so they would choose to stay. The only reason these potential
issues could occur is due to the inability to include it properly into nature. When a new aspect of
the world is introduced into nature, there must be careful planning and policies to circumvent
human and non-human control that would create moral atrocities.
Modified human behavior and original humans as depicted, still retain similar
characteristics that all humans possess. The issue is in what parts of human behavior get carried
on. In Black Mirror: The History of Us, memory storage and recall is invented and feeds a
post-human paranoia and drives him to force memories out of his wife and her old partner
through threats and coercion. The world creates another social issue where one can force another
to show personal moments they had with others and delete them. Original humans have just as
horrible crimes that mirror this crime such as rape. Both ripping out a persons memory and
forcing someone into a sexual act takes away a persons ability to choose. Both posthumans and
original humans have the capability to do horrible things.
Conversely, humans, posthumans and their creations have the ability to do wonderful
things. In the video game Alien Isolation an android named Samuels gives his life in order for
the protagonist to gain closure with her deceased mother. He shows selflessness and compassion
that would not be found in many humans.

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Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKgFkmTJNW8
The potential of modified humans and androids is similar to that of regular humans; it just
depends on their development. In GATTACA, there were humans that were both genetically
superior and inferior. They both had different bases off which they lived their lives but as they
progress through their lives they are allowed opportunities to succeed or fail and become shaped
by that. In GATTACA, a man who is genetically inferior becomes the first man on mars, he
refuses to give up regardless whether or not he was given a different base off which he had to
build himself. Just like with GATTACA, androids and modified humans have a different base of
existence than original humans. Their different base of existence does not mean they are
inherently evil or good, just that they have different start in life. Based off what they choose to
do with their lives, then should we decide whether that individual android or modified human is
cruel. So the change of technology is not inherently bad, it is how the individual and culture
reacts that is the root of the issue.
Humans desire to change does not need to be bad. Human progression does not halt at its
failure, after goals are not reached, other, more careful approaches can be taken. Human impact
on the environment is well known. The destruction of habitats and entire species of animals is
still something that occurs today. However, due to more accurate and extensive knowledge today,
humans are able to consider the impact of their actions deeply and prevent issues that would
normally arise. For example, In Yellowstone National Park the wolf population died out,
however due to government assistance, wolves were reintroduced back into the environment.
Article: http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm

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Human understanding of their impact on the environment allows for more forethought when
considering other changes. In a book review about human practices on the environment, a critic
shows concern about the future ecological conditions for later generations.
Article: http://goo.gl/PRGmDM
There is a deeper consideration of how important sustaining nature in a reliable and safe way.
The more knowledge about what issues arise with a specific change, the better human
forethought becomes and the more accurately we are able to create wonderful outcomes for our
personal natures and the way we act towards the things around us. Having greater forethought
due to expanded knowledge about our own impact bestows more responsibilities on us humans.
We are forced to become more conscious about our decisions since more risks are revealed and
by learning from previous mistakes, humans can better reconcile the changes they make with
nature. Whether we learn to circumvent the issues through new processes that require trial and
error, or past solutions that are altered to fit the given situations, there are options that must be
considered when we alter our personal natures or the nature of the things around us.
Humans create change in the nature of the world around them and can potentially change
their own natures, which can create potential issues. As humans become better with genetic
manipulation, GATTACA, a world with a genetic classes exist could occur instead of being used
for promoting health of people. If these types technological changes occur where humans do not
use forethought, it could be possible to only create more problems such as in Black Mirror: Be
Right Back where a woman buys an android to replace her husband but ends up hurt
emotionally and the society inadvertently creates slaves. However, while similar characteristics
of androids, modified humans and original humans exists, the only way to reconcile these

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differences is to allow each to progress individually and judge them based off their personal
decisions. All these issues of changing personal natures and the nature of our surrounding are
rooted in the lack of forethought that humans can have. If everything was accounted for, there
would be no issues. So as knowledge increases and the impact of our decisions becomes more
known, it is necessary to use that information, otherwise moral atrocities would be allowed to
occur. Change is nature, however, when the type of change chosen is important to consider.

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Citations:
Disney. "Best Scenes Ever - Ratatouille (Change Is Nature)." YouTube. YouTube,
8 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b1B30FeYOE>.
Harris, Owen. "Black Mirror 2x01 Be Right Back HDTV X264 FoV." YouTube.
YouTube, 8 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=mzSIQxc_KqE>.
Harris, Owen. "Black Mirror S01E03 The Entire History Of You." YouTube.
YouTube, 21 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Sw3GIR70HAY>.
Niccol, Andrewqq. "Gattaca - Movie Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2010.
Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZppWok6SX88>.
Shepherd, Vicki. "Book Reviews: Political Theory And
Methodology."EBSCOhost. Australian Journal Of Political Science 33.1 (1998): 154, n.d.
Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <http://goo.gl/PRGmDM >.
United States. National Park Service, NPS. "Wolf Restoration." National Parks
Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 22 Oct. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm>.