I’m taking a class this semester that deals with science fiction and its role in our society. One of the main focuses of this class is to show how science fiction has been the dark horse of literature in the past and how it has evolved to become a major part of our society.

This statement is certainly true, especially with the leaps and bounds that technology is making. Who would have thought one hundred years ago that every member of humankind would be able to travel in a metal object on wheels that gets us to our destination much faster than walking?

Who could have predicted that we would be able to shoot men into outerspace so they could walk on the moon? Or that Albert Einstein would inadvertently create a weapon so powerful that it could destroy every living thing on earth when detonated? Or that practically every home would have a television and a computer?

Our entire world is made up of elements that would have been considered science fiction twenty years ago. The vast majority of yesterday’s population did not believe that these inventions would ever exist. But people like Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Gene Rodenberry, Harlan Ellison and Arthur C. Clarke confidently told all of humankind that they would. Unfortunately, most of these authors were the objects of enormous laughter at the time. But are we still laughing now?

Recently a physicist named Richard Seed announced that he could clone human sheep. Of course, you’ve heard all of this information before and, inevitably, you’ve heard all the jokes that his information has spawned on television shows like “Seinfeld,” “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”

But cloning really isn’t a laughing matter. It is a serious subject that we should put a lot of thought into. I see the practice of cloning as humankind trying to play God. What gives us the right to create life in a laboratory? Isn’t it enough that we are able to reproduce sexually?

I can only think of one good reason why we should clone human beings — to create a stockpile of good organs to replace failing ones in humans. Scientists and physicists are quick to point out that human clones would be created exactly in our image (although who the “our” is isn’t exactly known) except that they would not have human brains.

But is there really a guarantee that the cloning of human beings would stop there? If scientists and physicists are allowed to clone humans, what is going to stop them from wanting to clone the human brain, right down to the complex brain activity that determines the very essence of who we are — our fears, likes, dislikes, beliefs, dreams, etc. That is exactly where the problem lies.

If scientists are permitted to clone human beings with brains, then they will also be allowed to program them. This leads to unimaginable problems, which I couldn’t possibly go into depth about here. But it is the obvious problems that make me feel cloning is an idea sent directly from Satan.

Scientists and physicists will have to figure out what part of society to fit the clones into. They could make these clones into the perfect killing machines by eliminating all notions of fear and compassion from their minds. They could use these clones for testing various products that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) won’t allow to test on regular humans.

Or they could use the clones as a labor force for jobs that humans are currently incapable or unwilling to do. But what is guaranteed to happen is that these clones will become slaves. They will be looked upon as less than human, much like African Americans and Native Americans were in the past (and unfortunately still are by some ignorant parts of society).

Cloning is guaranteed to introduce new stereotypes into society. These clones will be separated from the humankind from which they are stemmed. They will be victims of separatism, classism, racism and xenophobia. why would anybody purposefully create something with no other purpose than to be shunned and hated?

That is why I believe that cloning of humans should be banned entirely. I do not believe that restrictions on human cloning could ever possibly work. After all, how many of us break man-made laws, like parking in prohibited spots or underage drinking, every day?

Scientists and physicists are not going to settle for just cloning bodies. They are going to want the entire jackpot.

Ben Jones is a sophomore in English from Ankeny.