What are the ethics surrounding the genetic manipulation of animals and crops?

In the modern scientific era we have come to a turning point where we understand the genetic makeup of a variety of organisms well enough that we can actually manipulate the genes of these animals without the need for selective breeding. Companies such as Monsanto have fronted this drive for the use of genetic modification on our food supply for such benefits as frost resistance, pesticide resistance, or even toxicity to pest animals. All this sounds great on the surface, but when you look deeper you will realize the costs for this practice far outweigh the benefits for society.
The first and perhaps most blatant ethical dilemma is that Monsanto and other gene modifying companies are patenting their efforts as “intellectual property” and this also includes all organisms that are cross bred with the original modified plants and animals. They use this leverage to put farmers into debt around the world, and they treat the keeping of seed as the theft of their intellectual property. This often results in lengthy legal battles in which the farmers are dragged through the courts for years on end, up against the brick wall of these mega-corporation’s resources. In India farmers are actually committing suicide to remove the financial constraint on their families. If these companies were indeed doing such research for the benefit of mankind, an ethically astute position, surely they wouldn’t be subjecting farmers to such horrendous treatment.
The modification of these genes involves the use of animals (human and non-human) as laboratory guinea pigs. The genes for the manipulation of both animal and plants are derived from other organisms, mostly animals. They will take the DNA from animals with desirable traits in a lab which have been imported from all across the world. They then shoot the genes using a particle gun into a single cell of the host organism, in a petri dish. The new genes then spread to the other cells in the organism like cancer. The result, you get bananas crossed with rat DNA, tomatoes crossed with seal DNA, and anything else you can imagine. They have even dreamt up a way to make plants grow with pesticide already inside the plant, so you don’t have to spray them, any insect or small animal that eats it will have its stomach explode.
I think it goes without saying that this is an extremely unethical business, and it deserves proper criticism. Yet even people who seem to have a vested interest in this issue don’t bat an eyelash when Obama appoints Monsanto’s ex- VP to be senior advisor to the FDA.

When Does Vegetarianism Become Morally Obligatory?

Vegetarianism would be morally obligatory to the majority of Americans when there is widespread knowledge of the agribusiness agenda and a fair amount of access to organic fruits and vegetables across the country. Currently there is a enormous blackout on the true conditions in these factory farms, which makes the vast majority totally ignorant to what they are contributing to. It would be difficult to say that the majority are moral agents when it comes to meat consumption because they know almost nothing about the true nature of the business. All people see, is a neatly vacuum packed package at the supermarket, which is (deliberately) far removed from the image of a living breathing animal. One could argue that we are even indoctrinated from a young age to buy into this system. Children’s books are filled with cartoonish depictions of Old Macdonald’s farm and his happy animals. Pickup truck commercials show us the hardworking American farmer, the supposed backbone of our food industry and an inspiration to us all. In reality, the American farmer is no longer really relevant to the food industry other than in local settings.

Since the Agent Orange revolution, large corporations have controlled our food supply, and they even control most small farmers through legal roughhousing (using patented seed as intellectual property). As it stands now, the status-quo is designed to make meat and GMO crops the only available sustenance for the majority of people. So-called “Food deserts” are popping up in low income areas, where meat (as a federally subsidized industry) is usually the only option; aside from a slew of corn concoctions. In such areas, for example downtown North Adams, you would be hard pressed to find a store with a vegetarian section. Furthermore, the produce section is bound to be rife with genetically mutated plants which will continue to support the status quo, and poison you since the pesticides are within the plant itself.

So although it is morally maligned to consume the flesh of non-human animals, as long as there is widespread ignorance on the issue due to massive deception and indoctrination, and our food supply is controlled by only a small group of corporations who poison us with their pesticide food, the majority of Americans can’t be responsible for their actions because they lack the knowledge or in many cases the means to make an informed rational decision on the issue, even if it’s in their best interest.

Consciousness is the key

After Monday's discussion about consciousness I got to thinking about how this applies to animals. Thanks to the developments in physics we are coming to the understanding that consciousness is the fabric of the universe and in-fact forms the particles before our eyes. Without conscious observation, the energy in the universe is in waveform. Because of this understanding, it would be impossible for animals to observe the universe and react to it without consciousness.

Since anything that has a consciousness is able to perceive what is happening to it, and form memories based on their experiences. These memories, depending on the cognitive abilities of the animal in question will affect the animal for as long as their mind will permit. Subconsciously these experiences could even effect the animal for even longer.

For instance, a dog who has been beaten even once by its owner will probably never forget or forgive them. They would remember what had happened to them and it would shape their experience for the rest of their lives.

This is why I would say that we owe anything that is having a conscious experience of life a moral standing and ethical treatment based on their experiences.

Howe

My name is Christopher McCann, I'm a sophomore here at MCLA. As an IDST major I am exploring classes that pertain to holistic health and the study of other cultures. I recently switched my area of study from political science to a more spiritually grounded arena because, as I "conspiracy theorist" (critical thinker) I became quite frustrated with the blatant lies being perpetuated in our own school system. Over the past year I have had many mind boggling revelations which would make most people's head spin right around but I've managed quite well despite this.
I am looking foreword to Ethics and Animals because I am interested in hearing arguments on why we should or shouldn't eat animal products. I find this fascinating because my particular beliefs say that all life is interconnected, and it makes me wonder what effect our use and abuse of animals has on our collective consciousness. I hope that through our class discussions and reading I will expand my own understanding of this subject and draw upon our classmate's collective ideas to better my own experience and impact on the wider world around me. Currently, I do consume meat because it is typically served with every meal at our cafeteria; but perhaps when the semester is done I will find the motivation through this class to abstain from meat for good. 


Random observation: If the prime meridian were drawn at Stonehenge (the most famous one) the coordinates for the Grand Gallery within the Pyramid of Giza would almost exactly equal the speed of light in a vacuum in Meters / Second (with shifted decimal places, and accounting for continental drift).