munity behavior. It is inherent to human nature to be disinclined to analysis the experience of happiness, accepting only that it is a natural tendency to seek the 'feeling' of happiness and that changing the nature of behavior gives rise to a fear that happiness will not be forthcoming. Aristotle defines happiness in terms of function, in concert with the idea he presents on the nature of man, in that every individual has a unique function and that the function of the community is to live in a manner that happiness results. Happiness results from the acquisition of worldly goods, the health and well being of the individual and the satisfaction of the soul. Aristotle believed that individual happiness was only possible within the confines of a community.The issues of the ethical considerations of genetic engineering are significant to today's culture. Recent developments in technology and the expansion of knowledge into realms heretofore unknown has made possible procedures considered impossible before. The process of transgenic DNA procedures has opened the door between human and animal. The discussion of levels of sentience and willful purpose of non-humans has become not only pertinent but also essential in determining ethical standards in the evolving sciences. In order to confront the question of accessibility to the procedures of genetic engineering, considered in terms of ethical reasoning as presented by Aristotle, the concept of the individual's function in the community and the degree to which it influences the 'good' of the society must be addressed. Aristotle lived in a slave economy and much of his philosophy reflects the realities of that system. Class status was paramount to function and worth to the society. Happiness was attainable only for the elite and only through the functioning of the class system. Would genetic engineering be determined to be equally accessible for the world of Aristotle? No. If a slave or a freem...
