HUMAN CLONING AS THE ANTITHESIS OF AFRICAN-IGBO NOTION OF DEATH AND ANCESTRAL VENERATION

摘要

Human cloning is one of the most controversial scientific endeavors facing our world today because it is touching the genesis and core of our being. Cloning is, however, a general term, describing any procedure that produces a precise genetic replica of a biological object, including a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence, a cell, or an organism. The effect of Human Cloning on African-Igbo notion of death and ancestral veneration is also under attack by this most celebrated biotechnological advancement. The gift of life is divine given to man through the means of procreation. Death as well is not seen as an end in itself but a transition into the great beyond or the joining of one’s ancestors in the land of the living dead; in other words, life does not end in death, death is a continuum. Since sex is not involved in the production of clones and African-Igbo believes that sex is the normal means by which new genetic material is introduced during procreation, clones have no choice but to have exactly the same gene as their single parent. In addition to this, we are having exactly two individuals in existence at the same time. It is against this backdrop that this paper will show with analytic method of philosophy that human cloning amounts to the termination of human unique personality. It also destroys the value of death, ancestor ship and ancestor veneration in African ontology.