Clon’d, or a Note on Propagation

In “Clon’d” I ask in what way the problem of the “clone,” as it confronts us today, can be separated from modern and ancient questions concerning naming. Beginning with a philological analysis of the word “clone,” I then turn to the conceptual parallels between vegetative reproduction and linguistic reproduction. Through a comparison between the clone and the double, I argue, by way of conclusion, that the fear of the clone corresponds to a relatively new notion of genetic identity, which has repercussions far beyond the bio-technological realm.