Reference no: EM133079438

Michael Sandel (The Case Against Perfection, pp. 321-327)

Sandel says "The deeper danger [of enhancement and genetic engineering] is that they represent a kind of hyperagency - a Promethean aspiration to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires." (p. 322)

• Explain the quote and describe an example to illustrate what Sandel means. 

Sandel uses athletics to illustrate his main argument that what we appreciate or admire, in many human activities, is their "gifted character" (p. 322).

• Explain what Sandel means by "gifted character". Use an athletic example to illustrate your explanation. Does Sandel think that effort (such as strenuous training) is an important factor in the giftedness of an admired athletic performance? Explain.

Sandel says "To appreciate children as gifts is to accept them as they come, not as objects of our design or products of our will or instruments of our ambition. (p.323) Later he says "Nor does the sense of life as a gift mean that parents must shrink from shaping and directing the development of a child." (p. 323)

• What does he mean by the first quotation? Use an example to illustrate your answer. Does Sandel think the second quotation contradict the first? What role does the distinction between 'accepting love and transforming love' play in his answer? Explain. 

Sandel suggests a link between insurance and genetic engineering (discussed on p. 316).

• Explain what he means; use an example to illustrate your answer.
• What do you think of Sandel's argument? Explain.