Allison Farrell

Life Unlimited?
Freshman Inquiry

Reflection Essay
Life Unlimited? Freshman Inquiry was a discussion-based course about the entanglement
of genetic modification, human enhancement and how this intertwines with politics, laws,
corporations, and the world. We examined the entanglement issue of how interconnected
everything is and how genetic modification cannot be examined on its own, but can only truly be
discussed in accompaniment with the ethics, politics, and social ramifications of the science. I
began this class just as the Portland political scene was heating up over the hot topic of GMOs,
making our class very relevant and engaging.
Being a discussion-based class, every single class period was an opportunity to strengthen
my skills for a scholarly dialogue and I also learned a little bit about my own ability to
contribute. I will admit, I am weak in the area of participation. I dont tend to volunteer my views
until my passions are sparked by someone saying something I really dont agree with. I realized
this could come off as a bit aggressive if not communicated correctly so I tried very hard to keep
it a debate rather than an argument. I did this by not raising my voice and by knowing when to
call it quits. Its also important in a scholarly dialogue to have reasoning behind your opinions
and not just say I disagree with that! then when someone asks why, you refuse to explain
because youre not an expert. Sometimes its helpful in a discussion, if things are starting off
really slow, just to throw something out there for everyone. Pick something that stood out and
just say it because that will get the ball rolling. It doesnt have to be the most important point, but
its better than sitting in awkward silence.
This year I also realized where my passions lie by looking at what comments got me worked
up. It was when people expressed ignorant opinions that disregard the less privileged and put too

much faith in those in power that I would get involved. I heard people excuse the unwarranted
violation of Henrietta Lacks body by claiming it was okay for the scientists to take her cells
because it was a free clinic and she owed them and that if they had tried to explain she wouldnt
have understood anyway. This sickens me for so many reasons. Just because a person is
uneducated does not mean theyre stupid. It does not mean theyre not smart and capable and it
certainly does not mean they are open to be experimented on. A humans intelligence or lack of
does not change their possession of human rights. This also came into play when we began to
talk about artificial intelligence and genetically spliced organisms. It is so easy for anything
deemed less than human to be stripped of its freedom and enslaved. Even humans are victims
of it based off of gender, race, and class! Also, my inquiry was really piqued when we were
allowed freedom of research for our last project and I went off into my own interest of
investigation which turned out to be robots. I did a lot of research about the ethical and societal
concerns about robots and AI and how they would affect society. It became evident to me during
freshman inquiry that my values tend to center around rights, personal freedom, realizing the
corruption of society, the duality of man, and ethical science.
This being a science-oriented class, I also realized that it wasnt the hard science that really
interested me. It was the ethics, morality and societal implications that drew me in. The question
of where does the power lie? Who is influencing the science? Who is truly in control? Can we do
it? But more importantly, should we? This has influenced my thoughts towards my education and
career. I used to think maybe Id want to go into the field of biology but Im realizing now that
Im interested in behaviorism and psychology, not necessarily the pure mechanics of it. This has
led me to reanalyze potential careers and my education and to look into the field of psychology.
It turns out, there is a huge array of applications for psychology including medically

therapeutically, in criminology, the courtroom, marketing, and more. Not all of it appeals to me
but it was a relief to know that there are more options than I had previously known about.
Overall, I really enjoyed and learned a lot in Life Unlimited? with Professor Michael
Flower because his passion and knowledge of the subject created a positive and legitimate
learning environment that made me more interested in the topic and promoted my own inquiry
and investigation. I will continue to use the analysis skills that I learned and to follow my inquiry
and to stay curious about the world around me.