Approach to the future
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| Scenario-as-fable |
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| Gattaca is a serious examination of the impact of human genetic engineering, serving as a backdrop for a fable about the human spirit. |
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Ratings
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| Futurism: 8 |
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| Entertainment: 8 |
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| Plausibility: 7 |
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Interesting depictions
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| Human genetic engineering / reproduction: |
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| Society is divided into two tiers: the majority who have been genetically improved mentally and physically, and those who arrived by "faith-birth," without genetic intervention. |
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| The natural-born are assumed to be inferior, and are discriminated against. And they are inferior, in some sense: they have not been given specific abilities, and their defects have not been eliminated. |
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| These issues will arise inevitably. The elimination of defects has already begun, with the abortion of fetuses found to have serious medical problems. (But "defective" is relative: in India and other male-centered societies, fetuses are aborted for being female.) More and more genetic conditions will be testable, and it will be logical to conceive outside the body and test before implantation. |
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| Then it will be possible to correct some serious medical conditions, and people will decide that this is right. Then the scale will begin to slide: do you correct poor eyesight, if you can? Do you correct shortness? Do you begin to correct behaviors which have a genetic component? |
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| Finally, enhancements will be possible, and the divergence between people or societies who use them, and those who do not, will grow greater. |
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Other technologies / topics depicted
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| Information technology: |
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| By the 2030s, workers doing complex modeling and programming are not going to be sitting at desks with keyboards and small screens. Interface and display will be flexible, immersive, and intuitive. |
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| Futuristmovies.com, © 2001 Josh Calder |
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