The Cross-Section Between Capitalism and Science

The Human Genome undeniably has many positive and negative consequences to whoever’s hands it would land in. In one stratosphere, scientists will have unearthed the very essence that makes a person tick; they will have in their hands the very code that creates the physical characteristics, personality, and underlying biology in every single person that will ever exist. However, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, private capitalistic companies also may decide to invest time and energy to unearth human’s mystery, but may also take complete control over access to such a coveted sequence of letters. If it had fallen into the wrong hands, science could have come to a complete halt—medicine left to its own devices—had the genome been tainted with greedy, egotistical company giants.

                Craig Venter presents an interesting cross-section between both separate worlds. Raised as a scientist, but with the ambition of a CEO, Venter posses the ability to bridge the gap and highlight and meld the better characteristics in both worlds. Like any new and upcoming trend-setter, Venter would have to experience the negative backlash, naysayers, and even unseen obstacles, but given his heart and determination, he could bring to light the backbone of the human race while still running a private company. Undoubtedly, private companies such as Celera have more leeway and budget to work with in comparison with federally funded organizations, so they are able to delve more deeply into this topic and invest more money. These unrestricted abilities thus allow for quicker development of machines and other discoveries than if federally funded organizations had the same goals.

                However, while money sits at the basis of every private company, it becomes hard to invest millions, if not billions, of dollars into research that may terminate with no monetary value if funded by a large company. For instance, when Craig Venter partnered with ABI, his open-access and honest research became hindered for the sake of turning a profit and making sure there was money in place of the “light” at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, most people are unlike Craig Venter when it boils down to true honesty and desire to improve the scientific world without the traditional research path. Capitalism thrives off greedy, egotistical giants who care nothing more than using the work of others to turn a quick profit. Had Craig Venter switched mindsets and desired nothing more than stocks or patents off the Human Genome in place of his unrestricted access mantra, the world would have to pay the dire consequences. Capitalism could have ruined genetic therapy, gene editing, and the future techniques to come from unearthing the greatest gem of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

                If capitalism and science were to ever intersect again, it would take a person like Craig Venter to combine them beautifully with little to no severe consequences. Science runs off of honesty and free-access, however capitalism strives to restrict access and drive competitive prices. The two obviously do not innately mix; they are just like oil and water. Yet capitalism solves the problems science poses such as limited budgets and restricted opportunities set by the federal government, so in a way they compliment each other. If scientific integrity and honesty could exist within the capitalistic sphere, science would benefit immensely from the lifted barriers and bigger budget. 

Shreeve, James. The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World. Ballantine Books, 2005.