Humanity And Animality Under Genetic Engineering

Margaret Atwood is absorbed in pursuing the ultimate destiny of both man and nature."Survival" can be regarded as the permanent theme running through Atwood's writing.In 2003,Oryx and Crake was published,the gist of which also echoed Atwood's deep concern over man's survival and development.In the novel,the reckless development of bio-genetic engineering not only breaks the natural balance but also breaches the constraints of traditional ethics.Also,the human-animal relationship worsens and becomes increasingly intensified.Based on the background of the rapid development of science and technology,this thesis intends to proceed from the perspective of animal ethics,take genetic engineering as a breakthrough point and employ the coexistence concept of humanity and animality as a reference to explore the human-animal relationship reflected in the novel Oryx and Crake.By comparison and contrast,this paper aims to reveal what Atwood's appeal for animal ethics is,show great concern to humans' and animals'survival conditions and urge humans to rethink the human-animal relationship.Through close reading,it can be found that humanity and animality are not unique exclusive characteristics respectively possessed by humans and animals.Instead,they have both differences and similarities.Animals are similar to humans in many aspects and thus they deserve our equal treatment.However,the duplication of human genes,the cultivation of human organs,the recombination of infants'genes and many other biological engineering projects which are conducted out of private interests all resort to endless animal experiments where not only are human-animal differences totally neglected but also their similarities of being two equal and independent biotic subjects are ignored.The basic respect for humans'and animals' lives is gone.Human civilization is finally destroyed by self-made products and the only human survivor is faced with the threat from bio-genetic animals.So ironic and alarming is the ending that Atwood wants us to introspect the way we treat animals,make clear the similarities and differences between humans and animals and then figure out an appropriate pattern to get along well with them,achieving a harmonious relationship between humans and animals,and also accomplishing a peaceful coexistence between humanity and animality.