Ethical Issues
Are We Playing God?
Is it Life?
Have We Created a Monstrosity? Could it Go Rogue?
Is it Worth the Trouble?
Another pressing concern for this technology is the heavy risk of a rogue microbe, one that is severely damaging the environment and the beings living within that environment. This is a possibility because of the unpredictable nature of life. There is always the chance of a mutation or a series of mutations that utterly alters the DNA of the microbe, thus deviating the microbe from its intended tasks. This could result in a devastation of the world.
Another main issue for the public is the definition of life. Life, according to an article from the National Center of Biotechnology Information, is anything that contains DNA, able to adapt, regenerate, metabolize, and undergo natural selection. By creating a synthetic microbe, it destabilizes the already questionable meaning of life. A synthetic microbe defies the creation from natural selection and yet it is in every way, a life form. This is one of the quarrels of the society.
One of the most common viewpoints and criticism of the advent of biotechnology is the idea of playing "God". What this is basically saying is should we really tamper with the delicate balance of life? Should we, as humans, be the ones who dictate the very essence of our biological existence?
We already have genetic engineering, which in a nutshell, covers most of what a synthetic microbe could achieve. Why would we go through all the trouble to create a product that achieves nothing more? Although synthetic microbes cost more for research they have a larger than genetic engineering.