Gattaca: An Ethical Examination

The Plot of the Narrative

Gattaca is an American science-fiction movie which is released in 1997. In the narrative, the practices of genetic engineering for the purpose of eugenics are quite enhanced whereas the other technologies are not that much enhanced in the near future. In that future time, the genetics of babies can be determined by their parents with the help of doctors. Parents can decide their baby’s gender, eye color, hair color. Also, doctors can eliminate “prejudicial conditions” of babies such as alcoholism, obesity, premature baldness. Furthermore, the exact time and cause of death of any person can be known when he or she was born with the help of biological technologies. As it will be examined further, the dual situation of genetically-determined babies and natural-born babies have social consequences. The genetically-determined babies are the “valid” ones whereas the natural-born babies are the “invalid” ones.

The protagonist of the movie, Vincent Anton, is the first baby of his family as a natural-born baby. However, doctors said that his potential lifetime is 30.2 year and he will have particular health disorders. Therefore, his family coddled him in all of his childhood. Kindergartens did not accept Vincent Anton because they cannot guarantee that he never fall or hurt himself. Then his family decided to have one more child whose name is Anton and he is a genetically-determined baby. Geneticist created “almost perfect baby” for the family with enough imperfection. But Vincent felt himself deficient in comparison with his brother and he didn’t feel himself belong to this world. So, his biggest dream became to join a space journey. One day, when he did it better than Anton in the swimming game and saved his life, he abandoned the home.

Vincent started to work in the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation as a cleaning worker because he is a natural-born baby. In the scene that he started to work as a cleaning worker, he said “I belong to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or color of your skin. (…) We now have discrimination down to science.”[1]. Later, in order to make his dreams come true, he made an illegal contract. Jerome Walker, who is a “valid” person and former swimmer, will share his DNAs, blood, urine, and other necessities with Vincent, thusly, with the help of some reconstructive surgery, Vincent can transform to Jerome. After his alteration, Vincent started to work in Gattaca Corporation with using the name of Jerome. He made too much effort in Gattaca and he became selected for the space operation to Titan. In this process, a homicide happened in Gattaca and an investigation was started in order to find the murderer. It was a nervous process for Vincent because he dropped one of his eyelashes in Gattaca and authorities detected that there is an invalid person in Gattaca. However, he was not the murderer. One of the authorized investigators is Anton, the brother of Vincent. Towards the end of the movie, Anton faced with Vincent and they played the swimming game which they were playing during their childhood one last time. At the end of the movie, the doctor of Gattaca, Anton, and Irene who is the colleague of Vincent know that Vincent is a fake person and actually invalid, but they say nothing. Vincent achieves his dream and flies to Titan as a pilot of Gattaca.

The Morality of Genetic Intervention

As it was explained in the plot section, the parents can determine the genes of their babies with the help of doctors. At this point, a question arises: Is it ethical that other people have a say on the zygote that will become a conscious and rational person, even if that people are the parents of this person? In order to answer this question, the moral theory of Immanuel Kant and The Future of Human Nature of Jürgen Habermas should be examined. Firstly, the distinction between a means to an end and end in itself in Kantian theory must be clarified. A means to an end is referring to instrumental value rather than intrinsic value what makes a person an instrument to accomplish a particular goal. But human beings, as rational beings and the value-givers of the world, are must be treated as ends in themselves. So, in Kantian ethics, what makes people have intrinsically valuable rather than instrumentally valuable is the reason that makes people rational beings. Human beings are the rational beings that should be treated as ends in themselves belong to moral universe whereas things, which are not rational beings and not value-givers in the world, don’t belong to the moral universe and they have only instrumental value. Kant explained the difference in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals “Now I say that the human being, and in general every rational being, exists as end in itself, not merely as means to the discretionary use of this or that will, but in all its actions, those directed toward itself as well as those directed toward other rational beings, it must always at the same time be considered as an end.” (2002, p.45).

In the movie, there is no observable instrumental use of any genetically-determined person. But we know that the zygote will become a person after 9 months and become a rational human being. If we have this knowledge, can we claim that does any intervention to this future person have instrumental value? In order to answer this question, I will speculate the universe of Gattaca. It is imaginable that doctors can create physically strong people for genetically strong workers or peasant army. Furthermore, they can create people who are totally available to be good soldiers. That people will have instrumental value and will be treated merely a means to an end. It does not happen in Gattaca, but doesn’t the intervention of the parents reflect their wishes and desires on their baby? Therefore, the genetic intervention to babies in Gattaca makes every person merely a means to an end, according to the desires of the parents. Because the desires of a human being on another human being and its implications are implicitly instrumental.

German philosopher Jürgen Habermas suggested another distinction on genetic intervention and eugenics in his book The Future of Human Nature. The elements of this distinction are positive eugenics and negative eugenics. Habermas defined the negative eugenics as abolish of predispositions toward unhealthiness. Negative eugenics is also called “therapeutic genetic intervention”. On the other hand, positive eugenics is defined as a genetic intervention with the aim of enhancement the future of that baby. It is also called “eugenic enhancement”. Habermas approves only negative eugenics because he thinks that positive eugenics is an intervention to that person’s self-determination by determining others (Rosenstand, 2012, p.320). However, I find the terms “illness” and “unhealthiness” disputable. For instance, obesity or alcoholism are labeled as an illness in the scientific world. Both of these illnesses can be reduced during the lifetime with treatment. However, some obese or alcoholic people are at peace with themselves and do not want to be treated. So, even they are described as illnesses, a person might accept to live with them. Even the illnesses that can be reduced with negative eugenics are serious illnesses, “being treated or not” must be the decision of that particular person, not their parents, even if it is for the sake of that individual. That is to say, I claim that negative eugenics is also an intervention to self-determination of a person and instrumental, which leads the situation that makes a person a means to an end.

Social Order of the Gattaca’s Universe

As it was quoted previous parts of this essay, the natural-born people become the new underclass of the world. In that society, they have no chance to get prestigious occupations or positions such as being a pilot in Gattaca Corporation. Sociologist Harold R. Kerbo made a distinction in the way to get social status in a given society. If one’s social position is determined by hereditary ways such as the skin of color, gender, or class at birth, this is ascription. But if an individual can control his or her social position due to his or her qualities, this is an achievement (Kerbo, 1996, p.12). When we look at the social stratification system of the universe of Gattaca, it can be easily said that the determination of social positions is due to the ascribed status of people. The natural-born people have congenital disadvantages whereas the genetically-determined people have congenital advantages and the differentiation between them are quite significant. For instance, the natural-born “invalid” people cannot even enter the building of Gattaca Corporation. So, the opportunity to achieve social goods and benefits for natural-born people is quite low. In the movie, Vincent said “It didn’t matter how much I lied on my resume. My real resume was in my cells. (…) Of course, it is illegal to discriminate. ‘Genoism’, it is called. But no one takes the law seriously.”[2].

In order to examine the social order of the universe of Gattaca, it should be referred to A Theory of Justice of John Rawls which can be viewed as a perspective of a modern egalitarian liberalism. Rawls emphasized on the original position in order to build a system in justice as fairness. He underlined that the original position is about ‘a primitive condition of culture’, rather than a particular historical state (Rawls, 1971, p.44). In that original position, people have no knowledge about their further social position, benefits, or capabilities. At this point, Rawls explained a ‘veil of ignorance’ which establish a hypothetical condition that no one has knowledge about their conveniences and disadvantages in the determination of the principles. Moreover, Rawls explained the two principles of justice. The first principle is about equal access to basic liberties for each person of society and for the second principle, Rawls wrote that “Second: social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all.” (Rawls, 1971, p.47).

At this juncture, when we consider the social stratification system of the universe of Gattaca and the theory of John Rawls, it can be noticed that the social order of Gattaca is not compatible with the theory of Rawls. Firstly, in the universe that almost all qualities of any person can be determined in the zygote stage, there is no chance to create any kind of veil of ignorance. Because genetic intervention lifts the effectiveness of ascription and originates a socially determined society. Furthermore, the social order of Gattaca is conflicting with both principles of justice. For example, Rawls stated that freedom from psychological oppression and dismemberment are also included in the basic liberties. But when we examine the era that Vincent worked in Gattaca Corporation as a cleaning worker, there was psychological oppression on him. Also, the natural-born people have no allowance to enter some places such as the building of Gattaca Corporation which may lead problems of integrity for those people. For the second principle of justice, Rawls stressed on “everyone’s advantage” and “open to all”. But in the universe of Gattaca, the social positions and some occupations are only open to genetically-determined people and the system works for the welfare of genetically-determined people.

Conclusion

In the universe of Gattaca, there is a significant determinism in both individual and social level with the help of genetic engineering. At the individual level, the parents and geneticists may decide almost all qualities of a person and shape his or her future which is an intervention of self-determination of that particular person and contrarian of that person’s being an end in itself. In that sense, genetic intervention to a person, whatever its purpose is, can be an intervention to the will of that person. In a Kantian sense, it is unethical. On the other hand, when we examine the movie at the social level, we see a strict social stratification system due to people’s ascribed status. In addition, people’s access to both basic liberties, and social and economic goods and positions are incompatible with the theory of John Rawls. So, according to Rawls’ theory, justice as fairness is conflicting with the social order of Gattaca. That is to say, the moral universe of Gattaca seems dystopic both individual and social level.

References

Kerbo, H. R. (1996). Social stratification and inequality: Class conflict in historical and comparative perspective. McGraw-Hill College.

Kant, I., & Schneewind, J. B. (2002). Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Yale University Press.

Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of justice. USA: BELKNAP HARVARD.

Rosenstand, N. (2012). The moral of the story: An introduction to ethics. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

[1] 19:01–19:11

[2] 15:48–16:09