Genetic engineering is one of the rare scientific topics that the public finds so inflammatory and polarizing that the media frequently lends it front page status. When legislation is proposed dealing with this issue, public response is often quite schismatic - its proponents acclaim the potential for curing diseases and creating healthier foods, while its opponents label it as 'playing god' and 'disrespecting nature'. While the nature of this argument may be completely familiar to us, it is interesting to note that it is a conflict that for the most part is exclusive to western nations. If a scientist claimed to have created human stem cells through cloning in the US, religious authorities would decry him or her as an arrogant blasphemer, whereas in South Korea when Hwang Woo Suk made this claim (fraudulently), he was endorsed by the head of SK's largest Buddhist order, Reverend Ji Kwan, who warned SK's scientists to not follow the western philosophy.
This difference stems from the nature of the religions that are most common in the two regions. While eastern religions have traditionally held either a great number of gods, or no god at all, western religions tend to be monotheistic, in which the one god is the sole giver of life and each soul a direct gift from God. In the view of many Christians, cloning is akin to tresspass in God's territory, whereas in Buddhism cloning has been likened to the cyclical process of reincarnation.
America lead the scientific world for the better part of the twentieth century, and even now many scientists emmigrate to the US in order to access our large pool of jobs and high class facilities, but less and less Americans are choosing to pursue science themselves. And though many foreign scientists still come to America for work, the percentage of these scientists that are leaving their home countries to work here is decreasing - especially in the east. While we are still hampered by restrictions on genetic engineering and stem cell research, eastern laboratories are being given free reign in these cutting edge fields. Is our reluctance to accept what many see as 'playing god' making us lose our scientific advantage? Is our religion holding us back?
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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/science/20tier.html
Oops - didn't write this address at the bottom
It is not necessarily the religion that is holding the Americans' back, but rather a combination of factors, which includes the once attractive street called Wall something. But the point you make about the decreasing number of students pursuing science study is very keen. I remember it is exactly one of the President Obama's points during the presidential debate. He argued that more fund should be given to science education, because that's what creates "real" wealth for the society. Rather than those hedge funds and I-Banks.
You made a very interesting point when you attributed eastern acceptance of genetic engineering to their religious belief in reincarnation...I had never thought of this connection and it may very well allow for a greater open-mindedness to the creation of new life via scientific novelties. It is also true that over the past decade, studies have shown European and Asian nations to significantly outperform American high school students in scientific and technology areas. I would purport that there is a direct relationship between fundamentalist religious pressures and America's lagging performance in the sciences. How can progressive scientific discoveries continue to flourish while a large number of our nation's parochial schools do not even teach evolution and stem cell research is hindered by fundamentalist legislation?
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