In the essay "Ethics in the New Genetics" by the Dalai Lama, the author states that before biogenetics can continue, human beings must have with them a "compass morality" that protects all human beings so that their fundamental characteristics are taken away; the Dalai Lama hopes this will lead to more ethical decisions in the future. Similarly, in “Human Dignity” by Francis Fukuyama, the author examines the rise of human genetics and how it is following a path that does not consider the human essence, or in his words the X Factor, as a legitimate attribute of all human beings as this biogenetics continues. The rise of biogenetics will create an unfair advantage for many, including farmers who will find they have to depend entirely on biotech companies. Fukuyama argues that humans' need for a full emotional range is the most important unique human characteristic, and that humans will constantly believe that they know what they are. "good" and "bad" emotions. Fukuyama presents the idea that biogenetics is capable of eliminating attributes perceived as "evil", but "in the absence of these human evils there would be no sympathy, compassion, courage, heroism, solidarity, or strength of character." (Fukuyama 202). This becomes a problem because humans have lost respect for those emotions and forget that they are necessary for their ethical emotions to be separate from them. Fukuyama coins the term "genetic lottery" which refers to the wide range of genetic variations that make humans all different, but also make them all human. Once humans narrow down this genetic lottery, they lose their differences, and now being human will become a narrow definition instead of a unique one. With the advent of new genetics that neglects the idea of human dignity, or what it means to be human, we will see that a hierarchical system governed by genetically modified people and the oppression that will result
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