Is there anything wrong for human beings to manipulate nature and use nature as a resource? If yes why? If not, why not? Discuss cases of genetically modified food or animal testing. How would you draw the line between what we should and should not do?
No, Why would it be?
I do not believe that there is anything wrong for Man to manipulate nature and use 'nature' as a resource.
First of all I do not believe that there is a dichotomy between Man and nature. Man is a part of nature and therefore all actions of Man is an expression of nature. Even genetic manipulation is an expression, a process of nature which just happen to involve Man.
Of course we can insist on the differentiation between Man and 'nature', 'nature' being a set complimentary to Man, all that is not Man. Many would say that nature does not exist for the sake of Man. I would probably agree. But neither does Man exist for the sake of 'nature'. Man can exist for the sake of Man, and this can be seen as the 'natural order'. This is how every species exist in my view, this is the reason for reproduction.
Man has always 'manipulated' nature, our ancestors manipulated the genes of swine, poultry, horses, camels, by their own means, a eugenics of their own. There's nothing new with genetic manipulation, we just found a more effective method.
However I believe that senseless violence towards other species -be it plants, animals, or bacteria- is not justified, not because I see them as ends, but that those actions is inhumane, contrary to our nature, damaging to our psychology.
