The Philosophical Battle Of Free Will And Determinism

Genetic Determinism in Octavia Butler’s Dawn David Erickson ENG. 175: Race, Heredity, and Genetics Professor Lisa Klarr 9 December 2014 The philosophical battle of free will and determinism has been present for centuries, bringing with it a host of moral and ethical implications. However, since scientist’s production of the first recombinant DNA and its hybridization in 1972 (genome.gov) genetic determinism has taken on a new set of circumstances. â€Å"Since the 1970s, numerous authors have examined †¦ethical issues raised by the genetic modification of human beings† (Resnik Vorhaus, PMC), Octavia Butler being one of them. In her imaginative science-fiction novel, Dawn, she examines the idea of how genetic engineering†¦show more content†¦Free will, which also encapsulates environmentalism, says that behavior is not determined by genes and can be effected by environmental factors and therefore â€Å"assumes that we are free to choose our behavior† (simplypsychology.org). In the modern world, the free will and determinism debate has been somewhat reconciled since it has been found that both genes and the environment play a role in human behavior, allowing us to have some choice of who we are based on the environments that we choose to be in. It is now known that it is our genes which interact with the environment that makes us who we are, not the genes themselves (Jacobson, APA). Humans differ drastically from Oankali in the facet of socially and genetically based behavior, embodying both in their respective symbolism of free will and genetic determinism. Humans are social creatures. They pass along behaviors and learn new ones socially and culturally. For example, Lilith and the humans she awakens behave in a manner that is socially constructed, based on one another. This is also seen in Lilith’s desperation for contact with another human being to the point where â€Å"It became irrationally important for her to do two things: First, talk to a human being†¦one who knew more than she had managed to learn† (57). This illustrates not only the