Running head: TO ENGINEER MAN 1

TO ENGINEER MAN 2

A Discussion of the Morality and Ethics of the Perfection of Man

Perfection, for the last few centuries, man has strived for this to become a reality.

Perfection of mind, of form and of spirit, we as a species have learned to strive for

something more than the day to day drudgery of life. The United States in particular is

well known for this mentality, as everyone has heard of the American Dream. This

dream plants itself firmly in our collective societal psyche and whispers to us at night

that we can be more, we can be better, we can make a life for ourselves that was more

than we had the day before. Through exercise, schooling, church, we aim to better

ourselves and want our children to have all the things in life that we did not, a better life.

The Andrew Niccol film Gattaca, takes this idea of mans search for perfection and takes

it to the next logical level using science. Here, we have a world where you can choose

your children, complete with the color of eyes, level of intelligence, athletic ability and a

host of other traits before they are even conceived. This seems to breed a world where

people are segregated into groups of either valid or invalid, where the invalid are seen

as second class citizens and not hired for jobs due to their perceived genetic inferiority.

This paper will attempt to discuss the various elements of the movie, including the

position that Niccol took on the issue, the symbolism of the swimming scenes between

brothers, the character Irenes view of her situation as engineered but flawed and the

overall morality of genetic engineering.

Niccol has an interesting take on genetic engineering. Typically in a movie about

genetic engineering and its dangers, we are left we characters that must fend off some

abomination of nature that has gotten out of control. In a way, Niccol has taken that
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theme and stood it on its head, but the abomination is ourselves. This is shown in many

scenes where we see the search for perfection causing characters to lose who they are.

Vincents father refused to allow his son to have his first name when he is born due to

his obvious imperfection, but extends that right to his second born engineered son. We

it again in how Vincent the invalids parents treat him after their valid son Anton is born

and being measured for height when they make a fuss over the later while the former is

forgotten to the point that he erases his own name from the pole. Over and over again

in the movie we see people being treated as if they had no value all because their

parents chose not to build them using genetic Legos. The sad part about all this is the

lives that lead an engineered life are devoid of real life. They are like statues walking

around pretending to be alive, so assured of their place in life or limits that they never

strive for something better. This is oddly enough very similar to how the rich behave in

Niccols other movie In Time with Justin Timberlake. When everyone stops aging at 25

and uses time (lifespan) as a currency, the rich effectively live forever, but they are stuck

and dont really live (Mcarthy, 2011). Niccol shows us the value of people in Vincent,

who strives for the unattainable dream and succeeds regardless of where he came

from.

This leads into a discussion about the rivalry between Vincent and his brother

Anton. Vincent being the older brother was always viewed and treated by his parents as

broken somehow, while Anton was provided the praise and love. This I believe deeply

wounded Vincent, but also motivated him to refuse what life had provided. We see his

character become more and more determined to succeed in spite of voices telling him

its impossible. This rivalry eventually culminates in a couple different versions of the
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same scene spanning the movie as Vincent and Anton compete with each other in a

contest of ocean swimming. The first of these scenes opens when they are children and

ends with Anton always beating Vincent as his heart condition always caused him to

stop. We see them again as teenagers, just before Vincent decides to leave home. This

time things are different in the open sea away from shore, Vincent begins to pull ahead

while his genetically superior brother begins to flounder and finally goes under. Vincent

is able to swim back and save the life of his brother as Vincent narrates It was the one

moment in our lives when my brother was not as strong as be believed and I was not as

weak. It was the moment that made everything else possible. This was a pivotal scene

in the movie as it shows a turning point in attitude of Vincent, who decides to leave

home and aim for his dream, realizing that his genes were not the hindrance he though

them to be and his strength came from something further inside. This scene was then

mirrored near the end of the movie with bothers performing the same contest at night

and again Anton losing. This scene finally has an answer as to why Vincent was finally

able to beat his brother with their conversation as Vincent says You want to know how I

did it? This is how I did it Anton, I never saved anything for the swim back. Vincent had

to live life all in, with nothing held back, giving 100% to his dreams in order to succeed.

This gives him a power that the other characters in the film marvel at, as theyve always

had everything so easy, never really had to work for anything or to dream of anything.

This is striking with Irene, who as a valid, still has a minor heart defect that

prevents her from going into space. Attractive, intelligent, with so much going for her

and yet this minor defect is all she can see. This is best exemplified by a quote by

Vincent You are the authority on what is not possible, aren't you Irene? They've got you
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looking for any flaw, that after a while that's all you see. For what it's worth, I'm here to

tell you that it is possible. It is possible. This really adds to the overall view of Niccol on

Genetic engineering in that we could lose ourselves in it. Not only are invalids being

treated like less of people, but even the engineered have placed themselves in the box

of their limits. Irene has so much going for her and all she can see is this limitation,

when she is so much more than that. Vincent serves as an example to her that she

doesnt have to live in the box, she can break free of it if she chooses.

In the end, this brings about some very strong questions about the morality of

genetic engineering, specifically to enhance rather than heal and the practice known as

designer babies. Most will not argue about the benefits of genetic engineering to cure

disease such as downs syndrome or other hereditary diseases (Parry, 2013). This often

changes or gets mixed results when we start speaking about enhancing or perfecting

the engineered (Liao, 2008). While the thought of being stronger, faster or more

intelligent may be attractive to some people, what if that came at the cost of who you

are? Many would argue that the flaws and struggles we have in this life help mold and

shape us into the person we are and that without them we would cease to be. I think

much of this is evident in the character of Vincent from the movie, whose struggles in

life made him a stronger individual, one that other characters without similar struggles

could not understand. Beyond that, what does perfection look like? Who gets to decide

when perfection is achieved? These are questions that must be answered when

considering this topic. I think the fear of discrimination or worse is justified considering

what has happened in the past with similar events. So do we just allow engineering to

cure diseases but not to build babies? Sadly I dont have an answer for that quandary.
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References

LIAO, M. (2008, July 10). Selecting Children: The Ethics of Reproductive Genetic Engineering.

Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.smatthewliao.com/wp-

content/uploads/2008/07/liaoselectchildren.htm
Mcarthy, E. (2011, October 28). Director Andrew Niccol On New Film, In Time. Retrieved April

20, 2015, from http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a7251/in-time-andrew-

niccol-on-his-gattaca-inspired-new-film-6531927/
Parry, W. (2013, February 18). Designing Life: Should Babies Be Genetically Engineered?

Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/27206-genetic-engineering-

babies-debate.html