Why are Clones So Creepy?
April 30, 2009
So Monday, after I got done updating the site, I took a look at it and thought, yeesh. Creep city. I had the image at right as the primary visual and every time I looked at it, I felt a little off. Then a coworker emailed me and said that the site was creeping her out but in a good way. I got to thinking, Why are clones so damn creepy? It doesn't make any sense. I mean, identical twins are clones. I've known twins. Befriended them. Can't say I was ever creeped out by them. So what is it?
I called up Stephen Levick, a clinical psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author of Clone Being: Exploring the Psychological and Social Dimensions. Here's an excerpt from my phone conversation with him.
First, Levick pointed out that the image was giving off a freaky vibe because a photo of even just one of those mannequins would send a chill down your spine. I agreed. But surely there was more to the story.
"There are more primitive modes of thought based on the idea that if something has the same name or looks the same, it's the same thing. To a certain extent, we carry that with us throughout life," said Levick.
This way of thinking shows itself in dreams, and is more likely to influence our thinking when we're ocnfused and anxious, even as adults. So, when we encounter two or three people who look the same, we're more likely to fall back on that primitive notion, he said.
What about the very humanness in a clone?
"In some theological discussions, the question has been, 'Would a clone have a soul? If a clone doesn't have a soul, then it's not really human. If it's not human, then would it have a lesser status?" said Levick.
He went on, "It might have more to do with the motherlessness of clones. Actually, a clone would have a mother, but not in the usual way. The mother is seen as the soul-bearer. In the Jewish religion, for example, the child is considered to be Jewish if his mother is. He literally receives his Jewish soul from her."
And if not having a soul is bad enough, a clone could also be considered by some religions as a personification of the cloning process and be deemed an abomination, he said.
There's also the issue of sex, he said. "Good old-fashioned sex is fine, but only if sanctified by marriage. And, asexual reproduction is condemned. Remember how people first reacted to in vitro fertilization?"
Lastly, I want to draw attention to an important point that Levick made early in our conversation: That if reproductive cloning took place, the issue of sameness or identical appearances would be a non-issue. "A clone is not born as a fully fledged adult. It would be a baby. So there's going to be an age difference between the progenitor and the clone."
Sure, as the child grows up, he or she will look similar to the parent. "But with the generational difference, it's going to be harder to notice that," said Levick
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