Has Science Gone Too Far?

We are all familiar of the famous posts on social media of ridiculous pictures of hybrids and scientific extremities with the caption "Has Science Gone Too Far?"; they have become a thread in the fabric of the internet. The humor which lays within these pictures is the fact that these images are so ridiculous that society blames "science" for such abnormalities. However, these pictures do hold a certain amount of truth: albeit hyperbolic in its portrayal, they illustrate the fact that science can indeed go "too far" and that scientific breakthroughs can very well be dangerous. This is the essence of Chet Raymo's "A Measure of Restraint". However, instead of warning society of the dangers of seagulls with very well defined biceps, Raymo instead warns of the potential dangers of the advances in genetic engineering. While the pictures of a seagull is quite terrifying, it does not equate to the "spooky Frankensteinian quality" (Raymo) of the uncontrollable consequences of genetic engineering. And although the absurd pictures of science going too far may seem impossible and absolutely hilarious right now, Raymo ventures to say that these pictures may eventually become a norm in society in which society comes to accept these advances as normal. Thus, there is no ceiling as to how far science can go, as society will eventually adapt to the changes which science brings, resulting in a never-ending cycle of advance and change.