A Research On Bioethics Of H.G.Wells’ The Food Of The Gods

Science and technology in human society develop with each passing day,from making fire by drilling wood to the invention of textile tools and then to communication technology,the development of science and technology has indeed brought progress to human society.Among them,life science technology is also constantly developing.The origin of life sciences can be traced back to the theory of evolution proposed by Darwin in the mid-nineteenth century.This was undoubtedly a blockbuster for the Victorians who believed in religion and tradition at that time,impacting people’s thoughts and beliefs.Nowadays,the research of science and technology in the field of life has developed into in Vitro Fertilization,clone,genetic engineering,etc.,which could be seen as kinds of interventions to natural evolution and these interventions undoubtedly brought great challenges to social ethics.About human evolution,British writer Herbert George Wells boldly imagined human forms in his science fictions,such as Elois and Morlocks in The Time Machine,the animal-made men in The Island of Dr.Moreau,the Giants in The Food of the Gods.Wells expressed more realistic and comprehensive thoughts on the intervention of science and technology on life in The Food of the Gods.As an educator,Wells wanted human beings to be more intellectually and physically optimized,but he was also worried that the abuse of technology would violate the value and dignity of life.Therefore,this thesis aims to explore Wells’ ethical reflections on life and life science in The Food of the Gods based on the bioethics.It mainly consists of three parts.The first part summarizes the causes of Wells’ ethical care to life science through background investigation and research,that is,Wells’ scientific knowledge background and his teaching experience.The second part of the thesis analyzes the loss of life dignity of human subjects in The Food of the Gods by applying the consequentialism in bioethics,and two basic principles in human experiments,informed consent and nonmalificence.This kind of loss is mainly reflected in their limited physical activities and controlled mental development.The third part analyzes the main reasons for the tragic situation of human subjects from the perspective of deontological ethics in bioethics,that is,the wrong value orientation in thoughts of “mad scientists” and abuse of science and technology in their scientific experiments.Through the bioethical interpretation of Wells’ The Food of the Gods,we can know the cautious attitude of Wells towards life science technology.Such caution includes a call for social responsibilities on the part of scientists,and a reflection on the natural evolution of human beings.And this kind of appeal and thoughts can also play an ethical vigilant role in current life scientific research,and prevent the emergence of modern “the Food of the Gods” from damaging the entire human society.