English 12 Demo

Article #1: Scientists on verge of new “Creation”; Labs say they have nearly all the tools to make artificial life (The Chicago Tribune 2004)

Article #2: Scientists Create First Living Organism With “Artificial DNA (Nature 2014)

What a difference ten years makes, huh? What do you think about all of this? Use the questions below to guide your written response. All three questions should be answered within a single essay.

Questions:

1. What is life?

2. Write a Reaction Paper to this article.

The point of a reaction paper is to give you a chance to develop your own views on the readings and, at the same time, demonstrate your command of what you have read thus far. The format is simple. Take a point from one of the assigned readings and either apply it, develop it, or critique it in 500-1000 words. The best papers will be those that:

• capture in words the point of the articles;

• clearly state your point of view about the selected point;

• where appropriate, provide good evidence for the case being made.

[Note: this is where "real life" experiences will come in handy. Your "evidence" may be of the loose and anecdotal variety--evidence drawn from experience. You may not need to cite any evidence at all. This depends very much on the kind of argument you are making.]

Keep in mind you are not writing a report but rather making a case, an argument. This is an exercise in critical thinking.

3. Agree or disagree with the following statement. Provide evidence that supports your conclusion. The more technologically advanced, the more morally corrupt we become.