This blog post explores the ethical issues and the nature of humanity that technological advancement could bring, using the theme of cloned humans.
The film begins with the introduction of the male protagonist, ‘Lincoln 6-Echo,’ living in a strictly controlled society. Living each day under rigid control, ‘Lincoln 6-Echo’ meets a woman named Jordan 2-Delta and falls in love. However, Lincoln 6-Echo discovers he is not a real human but a clone, destined to be killed when the bodies of the real humans become defective. He attempts to escape the society controlling him, facing life-threatening danger from those trying to stop him. After many twists and turns, he and his beloved woman successfully escape and seek out the humans who created them. After hearing their entire story and pleading for protection, the humans attempt to send the replicants back to the replicant detention center. Once again pursued and facing mortal danger, Lincoln 6-Echo overcomes these threats. The film concludes with him revealing the existence of this inhumane, segregated society to the world and liberating the replicants.
Like most films dealing with science and technology, the opening of this movie is difficult to grasp. However, as it unfolds from ‘Lincoln 6-Echo’s’ perspective, the truths revealed bit by bit make your palms sweat. When ‘Lincoln 6-Echo’ realized he was a replicant, I too felt despair, thinking ‘Oh!’ I felt anger toward the camp administrators who, upon learning the truth, branded ‘Lincoln 6-Echo’ as ‘contaminated’ and subjected him to a form of social burial through strict isolation. That anger peaked during the scene where one clone was brutally murdered for its intended purpose and forcibly had its organs harvested. I felt warm inside during the scene where the female lead, Jordan 2-Delta, shared love with him. And in the final scene where ‘Lincoln 6-Echo’ overcame all hardships and triumphed in the fight against the isolated society, I was intoxicated by a sense of victory, albeit vicariously. The structure that stimulates humanity’s inherent morality of rewarding good and punishing evil, combined with the intriguing theme, delivered a profound emotional impact.
This time, I’ll explore the film’s subject matter: cloned humans. Within this category, two main perspectives warrant consideration. One is the perspective of the cloning technology itself, and the other is the ethical aspects surrounding this technology.
First, let’s examine the technology itself. To understand cloning technology more deeply, we must briefly touch on its current state. Research into cloning technology has been ongoing, from the cloned sheep ‘Dolly’ and the cloned cow ‘Young-rong’ to the embryonic stem cell research that sparked significant controversy a few years ago. Although Dolly and Young-rong did not live full natural lives, their very births were undeniably remarkable achievements. The secret behind their creation was ‘somatic cell cloning’ technology. This technology literally replicates only somatic cells, differing from the depiction in movies where a clone is born fully adult. Since such cloning is currently impossible, let’s first understand the realistic ‘somatic cell cloning’.
Before delving into somatic cell cloning, there are essential concepts to grasp. Human cells are broadly divided into two types. One type is ‘somatic cells,’ which form the entire body’s structure, and the other is ‘germ cells,’ responsible for reproductive functions. Each cell contains a ‘nucleus,’ and within this nucleus lies ‘DNA,’ which holds all the genetic information of an individual. It is precisely this DNA that determines everything from the smallest unit, the cell, to the entire individual.
Now, based on the preceding explanation, let’s examine the process of somatic cell cloning in more detail. First, an egg cell is extracted from a female and its nucleus is removed (since an egg cell is also a cell, it possesses a nucleus). Next, a nucleus is extracted from a somatic cell of the individual to be cloned and transplanted into the egg cell in place of its original nucleus. This egg cell with the transplanted nucleus is called a ‘cloned embryo’. If this cloned embryo is allowed to develop, an individual with the exact same genetic makeup as the donor of the somatic cell will be born. This is the principle of somatic cell cloning. While there are many concepts to grasp, the principle itself isn’t difficult to understand.
Having explored cloning technology, we now turn to another perspective: its ethical implications. Scientifically, cloning technology is undoubtedly innovative and remarkable. However, we must carefully consider the intentions and purposes for which humans might use this technology. Moreover, since human cloning is literally a technology targeting humans, thorough ethical review is essential before its realization.
If human cloning were possible, what benefits could we humans gain? In other words, why do humans strive to achieve human cloning despite many difficulties? One of the biggest reasons, as depicted in movies, is the ability to replace damaged bodies. Consider a situation where vital organs are damaged due to an accident or disease. It’s truly horrific, but if we could transplant a new organ identical to my damaged one, what would there be to worry about? Also, imagine a couple who cannot conceive but desperately want a child. How wonderful would it be if they could have a child through cloned embryos?
Suppose we diligently research and successfully apply cloning technology to humans, and cloned humans become commonplace. Would there truly only be benefits?
Cloned humans can be compared to identical twins in that they would live in the same era as someone identical to themselves. Identical twins, living alongside someone exactly like them, inevitably face constant comparison in every aspect of life. We can reasonably assume cloned humans would experience similar stress. However, since cloning a person implies recognition of their superior qualities, the cloned individual would face immense expectations from their surroundings from the moment of birth. This is a different dimension entirely from the minor stress experienced by identical twins. If I were a clone of figure skater Kim Yuna, I would face the expectation that I would conquer the world with figure skating skills equal to hers. Could I truly live well my entire life carrying such immense pressure?
If the previous scenario highlights problems that could arise when there’s a large age gap between the original and the clone, what about when the age gap is very small? Consider a scenario where the clone was made when the original was a baby. Then the age gap between the original human and the clone could be as little as one or two years. What kind of relationship could we call this between the clone and the original human? It becomes an ambiguous relationship, neither parent-child nor sibling. This could also lead to significant social problems.
More extremely, if human desire is maximized, I believe ‘Ireland’ could certainly form as well. If there exists a replacement for my body damaged in an accident, and if that replacement is a clone, humans would harbor the desire to create and raise clones. In such a scenario, the raised clones would be killed for no reason, solely for someone else, and this behavior would become socially justified. It’s a truly barbaric imagination, but it’s not an impossible story.
Thus far, we’ve examined the technology of ‘cloned humans’ using motifs from films. Like all scientific technologies, whether it becomes a blessing or a curse depends entirely on how humans use it. If cloning technology becomes feasible, extending life might no longer be just a dream. However, as we’ve seen, as long as such a fatal ethical contradiction exists, it will pose serious problems for humanity. While researching for this article, I found that discussions about human cloning focused more on ethical concerns than technical feasibility, and were largely skeptical. In summary, even if human cloning technology becomes possible, applying it in reality would be impractical.
