Do Clones Have A Soul

2 Pages 431 Words

As we learned in class about the different parts of an individual, a very interesting and unanswered question came to mind. Does a clone have a spirit or a soul? I think this question could stir up some very interesting conversations. As for me, I chose this question because it challenges, in some way, Plato’s definition of justice by ways of the individual.
As the years go by, cloning has become a more widespread topic within the media. This is due in part because scientists have been getting closer to this huge breakthrough of cloning a human being. Of course, there is no guarantee that the genetic copy of the real individual will be able to develop and grow as we normal humans do. Although this may seem like a big step in science, what many don’t realize is that while achieving to replicate a human being, physically, the clone will probably not be considered a “whole individual”.
According to Plato’s “parts “of an individual, to be considered as a whole, one must encompass physical body, appetite, reason, and spirit. Together, the appetite, reason and spirit are the components that make up the soul. So far, a human clone would have achieved only one of the parts of Plato’s theory: the body. In addition, it is possible for a clone to feel hunger and to be able to reason. If so, could it be possible that a clone could have a soul? The fact is, the clone would be lacking the most important aspect of the individual’s soul, and that’s the spirit. Therefore, justice would not exist for the clone since no one truly knows if it has a spirit or a soul. That’s why I believe cloning overall should not be permitted.
The interesting point in this situation would be that it seems as though these scientists are trying to play God. I found this to be an interesting point because if God wanted us to be able to replicate ourselves, once we’ve died, then he would have blessed us with “humanly tools” to do so. I belie...