In this blog post, we explore the dangers of a genetically engineered society and the importance of genetic diversity through the lens of the movie ‘Gattaca’.
Set in the future, the movie ‘Gattaca’ depicts a society where analyzing a child’s genes at birth can predict the probability of developing specific diseases and even the cause of death. In this future society, genetic engineering technology has advanced to an astonishing level, making it possible to remove genes carrying disease risks and retain only superior traits before fertilizing sperm and eggs. People born through this process are called ‘custom-made humans’, while those born through natural fertilization are called ‘natural humans’. This distinction goes beyond simple biological differences, significantly impacting social status and opportunities.
Vincent, the film’s protagonist, was born a natural human. His dream was to work for the aerospace company Gattaca and travel to space, but the company’s policy of only recognizing custom humans as qualified candidates deemed Vincent unfit, leading to his frustration. Amidst these social constraints, ineligible natural humans seek new ways to achieve their dreams, one being the buying and selling of DNA. In this process, Vincent, working as a janitor at Gattaca, meets Jerome, a genetically engineered human, through DNA broker Germain. Vincent then uses Jerome’s DNA to gain entry into Gattaca.
This film depicts the social conflict between genetically engineered humans and natural humans. Reflecting on the choices presented in the film, people can be divided into those who wish to live as genetically engineered humans and those who prefer to live as natural humans. This article aims to discuss why living as a natural human is the better choice.
The primary arguments of those who choose to live as genetically engineered humans are as follows. First, genetically engineered humans are expected to have increased average lifespans and improved quality of life through genetic enhancement. By reducing the likelihood of disease and improving physical and mental health, both individual happiness and overall societal productivity would increase. Furthermore, they argue that the discrimination issues depicted in the film ‘Gattaca’ could be mitigated through strong legal sanctions and ethical regulations. The view is that introducing laws prohibiting discrimination based on genetic information would narrow the social gap between natural humans and customized humans.
However, these arguments present several problems. First, increased average life expectancy will raise the proportion of elderly people and reduce the working-age population, leading to greater economic burdens. This could cause imbalances across society, and the social welfare system is likely to face significant pressure due to rising pension and healthcare costs. Furthermore, it is difficult for companies to completely eliminate discrimination merely by complying with laws. Companies will constantly develop new methods to distinguish whether a candidate is a custom-made human or a natural human, inevitably making legal regulations more complex.
The most significant problem in a custom-made human society is the reduction in genetic diversity. If parents select only superior genes to produce children, genetic traits will become increasingly uniform over generations. This could pose a serious threat to humanity’s long-term survival. If everyone possesses a similar genetic makeup, the ability to adapt to new diseases or environmental changes is likely to diminish. Diverse genes are necessary to respond to various environmental shifts, but in a society of customized humans, this diversity risks disappearing.
Opposing viewpoints argue that diversity among customized humans will be maintained. Since it is impossible to design every human to excel in specific fields, diverse genetic traits will inevitably persist. For example, the logic goes that to excel at basketball, one needs to be tall, while excelling at horseback riding requires being shorter. There is also the expectation that the genetic traits parents choose for their children will be diverse. However, it is questionable whether these differences will actually have a significant enough impact to maintain genetic diversity. In a society of customized humans, people are likely to predominantly choose similar genetic combinations, and as a result, genetic diversity will gradually diminish.
Reduced genetic diversity makes humanity vulnerable to changes in the natural environment. For example, if a new disease emerges and all humans share identical genetic traits, the population capable of resisting that disease would be extremely limited. The 1918 Spanish flu claimed tens of millions of lives worldwide, with survival rates varying based on individual immune differences. Had all humans possessed identical immune systems at that time, the devastation would have been far more severe. This historical example demonstrates the critical importance of genetic diversity.
In a customized human society, there is also the counterargument that as genetic technology advances, all diseases could be cured. However, considering the current level of technology, a significant gap still exists between genetic manipulation and disease treatment technology. For example, during the 2009 influenza virus pandemic, significant chaos occurred due to delays in prevention and treatment. This case suggests that technological advancement does not necessarily solve every problem.
For these reasons, I believe people should live as natural humans. While genetic manipulation technology continues to advance, the emergence of a society like the one depicted in the movie ‘Gattaca’ could pose a significant risk to humanity. The future we should pursue is a society that respects genetic diversity and the inherent value of humanity; only such a society can achieve sustainable development.
