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Book The Biotechnology Debate

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernice Bovenkerk
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2012-01-05
  • ISBN : 9400726902
  • Pages : 341 pages

Download or read book The Biotechnology Debate written by Bernice Bovenkerk and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-01-05 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book grounds deliberative democratic theory in a more refined understanding of deliberative practice, in particular when dealing with intractable moral disagreement regarding novel technologies. While there is an ongoing, vibrant debate about the theoretical merits of deliberative democracy on the one hand, and more recently, empirical studies of specific deliberative exercises have been carried out, these two discussions fail to speak to one another. Debates about animal and plant biotechnology are examined as a paradigmatic case for intractable disagreement in today’s pluralistic societies. This examination reveals that the disagreements in this debate are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional and can often be traced to fundamental disagreements about values or worldviews. “One of the acute insights to emerge from this examination is that deliberation can serve different purposes vis-à-vis different types of problem. In the case of deeply unstructured problems, like the modern biotechnology debate, the aim of inclusion is more appropriate than the aim of consensus. This book highlights the importance of political culture and broader institutional settings in shaping the capacity and propensity of citizens to engage in deliberation and the degree to which governments are prepared to relinquish authority to deliberative mini-publics." Robyn Eckersley, University of Melbourne, Australia

Book The Ideal of Nature

    Book Details:
  • Author : Gregory E. Kaebnick
  • Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press
  • Release : 2011-05-09
  • ISBN : 9780801898884
  • Pages : 232 pages

Download or read book The Ideal of Nature written by Gregory E. Kaebnick and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 2011-05-09 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Going back at least to the writings of John Stuart Mill and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, people have argued for and against maintaining a state of nature. Is there an inherent virtue in leaving alone a naturally occurring condition, or does the human species thrive when we find ways to improve our circumstances? This volume probes whether "nature" and "the natural" are capable of guiding moral deliberations in policy making. Drawing on philosophy, religion, and political science, this book examines three questions central to debates over the idea of "nature" in human action. Conceptually, it asks what the term means, how it should be considered, and if it is, even in part, a social construct. From a moral perspective, the contributors question if being "natural" is itself of value or if its worth is only as a means to advance other morally acceptable ends. Politically, essays discuss whether appeals to nature can and should affect public policy and, if so, whether they are moral trump cards or should instead be fitted alongside or weighed against other concerns. Achieving consensus on these questions has proven elusive and seems unattainable. This should not, however, be an obstacle to moving the debate forward. By bringing together disparate approaches to addressing these concepts, The Ideal of Nature suggests the possibility of intermediate positions that move beyond the usual full-throated defense and blanket dismissal found in much of the debate. Scholars of bioethics, environmental philosophy, religious studies, sociology, public policy, and political theory will find much merit in this book’s lively discussion.

Book Redesigning Creation

Download or read book Redesigning Creation written by Marnie McCuen and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays and articles with diverse opinions discuss genetic engineering, bioethics, cloning, and other topics relating to biotechnology.

Book Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective

Download or read book Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective written by Paul B. Thompson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-05 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revised edition updates Thompson’s trail-blazing study of ethical and philosophical issues raised by biotechnology. The 1997 book was the first by a philosopher to address food and agricultural biotechnology, discussing ethical issues associated with risk assessment, labelling, animal transformation, patents, and impact on traditional farming communities. The new edition addresses the debates of the intervening decade, including cloning, the Precautionary Principle, and the biotechnology debate between the United States and Europe.

Book Let Them Eat Precaution

Download or read book Let Them Eat Precaution written by Jon Entine and published by A E I Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The often-confrontational debate over the development of agricultural and pharmaceutical products made with the help of genetic modification has drastically limited the exploitation of this still new technology. This book focuses on the risk and rewards of genetic modification, the differing paths the dialogue on GM has followed in Europe and the developing world in contrast to the United States, how the debate impacts the commercial realities of companies developing new products, and what strategies might foster more constructive discussion over the costs and benefits of genetic manipulation to bring about more rational and internationally coordinated public policy.

Book Food  Genetic Engineering and Philosophy of Technology

Download or read book Food Genetic Engineering and Philosophy of Technology written by N. Dane Scott and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-10-22 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes specific, well-know controversies in the genetic modification debate and connects them to deeper philosophical issues in philosophy of technology. It contributes to the current, far-reaching deliberations about the future of food, agriculture and society. Controversies over so-called Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) regularly appear in the press. The biotechnology debate has settled into a long-term philosophical dispute. The discussion goes much deeper than the initial empirical questions about whether or not GM food and crops are safe for human consumption or pose environmental harms that dominated news reports. In fact, the implications of this debate extend beyond the sphere of food and agriculture to encompass the general role of science and technology in society. The GM controversy provides an occasion to explore important issues in philosophy of technology. Researchers, teachers and students interested in agricultural biotechnology, philosophy of technology and the future of food and agriculture will find this exploration timely and thought provoking.

Book The Ethics of Biotechnology

Download or read book The Ethics of Biotechnology written by Jonathan Morris (PhD.) and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the moral and ethical debates engendered by new advances in biotechnology.

Book Concepts of Property and the Biotechnology Debate

Download or read book Concepts of Property and the Biotechnology Debate written by Paul B. Thompson and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Perfection  Postmodern Culture and the Biotechnology Debate

Download or read book Perfection Postmodern Culture and the Biotechnology Debate written by Michael J. Hyde and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book What Can Nanotechnology Learn From Biotechnology

Download or read book What Can Nanotechnology Learn From Biotechnology written by Kenneth David and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2011-09-02 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What Can Nanotechnology Learn From Biotechnology? presents diverse perspectives on biotechnology and nanotechnologies. Avoiding extreme perspectives, unwarranted hype and absolute rejection, this book explores the diverse territory of proponents and opponents of challenging but potentially risky technologies. Contributions from recognized experts in their fields represent the perspectives of a diverse range of stakeholders. This book details the lessons to be learned from the controversy over genetically modified foods, and how those lessons can be applied to developing nanotechnologies, particularly agricultural and other food-related applications. Exploring the environmental, social and ethical impact of nanotechnology in addition to the technical and economical impacts, it an ideal reference for any scientist, engineer, research program administrator, resource allocator, and NGO advocate. - Addresses the growing concern over the responsibility of science to the impacted population - Uses real-world experience to outline practical approaches for emerging technologies - Addresses the concerns of science as well as social science

Book Altering Nature

    Book Details:
  • Author : B. A. Lustig
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2008-07-15
  • ISBN : 1402069219
  • Pages : 338 pages

Download or read book Altering Nature written by B. A. Lustig and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-07-15 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: B. Andrew Lustig, Baruch A. Brody, and Gerald P. McKenny Nearly every week the general public is treated to an announcement of another actual or potential “breakthrough” in biotechnology. Headlines trumpet advances in assisted reproduction, current or prospective experiments in cloning, and devel- ments in regenerative medicine, stem cell technologies, and tissue engineering. Scientific and popular accounts explore the perils and the possibilities of enhancing human capacities by computer-based, biomolecular, or mechanical means through advances in artificial intelligence, genetics, and nanotechnology. Reports abound concerning ever more sophisticated genetic techniques being introduced into ag- culture and animal husbandry, as well as efforts to enhance and protect biodiversity. Given the pace of such developments, many insightful commentators have proclaimed the 21st century as the “biotechnology century. ” Despite a significant literature on the morality of these particular advances in biotechnology, deeper ethical analysis has often been lacking. Our preliminary review of that literature suggested that current discussions of normative issues in biotechnology have suffered from two major deficiencies. First, the discussions have been too often piecemeal in character, limited to after-the-fact analyses of particular issues that provoked the debate, and unconnected to larger concepts and themes. Second, a crucial missing element of those discussions has been the failure to reflect explicitly on the diverse disciplinary conceptions of nature and the natural that shape moral judgments about the legitimacy of specific forms of research and their applications.

Book Playing God

    Book Details:
  • Author : John H. Evans
  • Publisher : University of Chicago Press
  • Release : 2002
  • ISBN : 9780226222615
  • Pages : 316 pages

Download or read book Playing God written by John H. Evans and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Framework for Understanding the Thinning of a Public Debate2. Setting the Stage: The Eugenicists and the Challenge from Theologians3. Gene Therapy, Advisory Commissions, and the Birth of the Bioethics Profession4. The President's Commission: The "Neutral" Triumph of Formal Rationality5. Regaining Lost Jurisdictional Ground and the Triumph of the Bioethics Profession6. "Reproduction" as the New Jurisdictional Metaphor: Autonomy and the Internal Threat to the Bioethics/Science Jurisdiction7. Conclusion: The Future of Public Bioethics and the HGE DebateAppendix: Methods and TablesNotesWorks CitedIndex Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Book The Biotechnology Debate

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernice Bovenkerk
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2012-01-04
  • ISBN : 9400726910
  • Pages : 341 pages

Download or read book The Biotechnology Debate written by Bernice Bovenkerk and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-01-04 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book grounds deliberative democratic theory in a more refined understanding of deliberative practice, in particular when dealing with intractable moral disagreement regarding novel technologies. While there is an ongoing, vibrant debate about the theoretical merits of deliberative democracy on the one hand, and more recently, empirical studies of specific deliberative exercises have been carried out, these two discussions fail to speak to one another. Debates about animal and plant biotechnology are examined as a paradigmatic case for intractable disagreement in today’s pluralistic societies. This examination reveals that the disagreements in this debate are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional and can often be traced to fundamental disagreements about values or worldviews. “One of the acute insights to emerge from this examination is that deliberation can serve different purposes vis-à-vis different types of problem. In the case of deeply unstructured problems, like the modern biotechnology debate, the aim of inclusion is more appropriate than the aim of consensus. This book highlights the importance of political culture and broader institutional settings in shaping the capacity and propensity of citizens to engage in deliberation and the degree to which governments are prepared to relinquish authority to deliberative mini-publics." Robyn Eckersley, University of Melbourne, Australia

Book Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture

Download or read book Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture written by Gerald C. Nelson and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-03-22 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genetically modified crops have become a topic of great interest among scientists, regulators, consumers, farmers, and politicians. Despite their potential benefits, public hostility toward these crops is causing dramatic changes to import/export policies, food safety regulations, and agricultural practices around the world. Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture provides a comprehensive overview of the subject and a balanced look at the costs and benefits of GMO products. Part I reviews the scientific, economic, and political issues relating to the use of agricultural GMOs. Chapters cover specific applications, regulatory concerns, import/export patterns, international trade issues, and a discussion of future trends. Part II offers a unique look at all sides of the GMO controversies, with short chapters contributed by leading individuals with widely different perspectives. Part III presents a more in-depth look at selected issues plus helpful reference materials. This book makes the latest information on GMOs accessible to all interested parties, including students, laypeople, scientists, activists, and professionals working in related fields. * Additional detailed footnotes and references for the academic * International contributions from the US, Europe and India * Covers the perspectives of different groups involved in the controversies: governments, environmental agencies, consumers, industrial agencies and the developing world

Book Biotechnology  Education and Life Politics

Download or read book Biotechnology Education and Life Politics written by Pádraig Murphy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-04-24 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What should individuals and society do when genetic screening becomes widely available and with its impact on current and future generations still uncertain? How can our education systems around the world respond to these developments? Reproductive and genetic technologies (RGTs) are increasingly controversial and political. We are entering an era where we can design future humans, firstly, by genetic screening of "undesirable" traits or indeed embryos, but perhaps later by more radical genetic engineering. This has a profound effect on what we see as normal, acceptable and responsible. This book argues that these urgent and biopolitical issues should be central to how biology is taught as a subject. Debate about life itself has always been at the forefront of connected molecular, genetic and social/personal identity levels, and each of these levels requires processes of communication and debate, what Anthony Giddens called in passing life politics. In this book Pádraig Murphy opens the term up, with examples from field research in schools, student responses to educational films exploring the future of RGTs, and science studies of strategic biotechnology and the lab practices of genetic screening. Life political debate is thoroughly examined and is identified as a way of connecting mainstream education of biology with future generations. Biotechnology, Education and Life Politics will appeal to post-graduates and academics involved with science education, science communication, communication studies and the sociology of education.

Book The Case against Perfection

Download or read book The Case against Perfection written by Michael J Sandel and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Breakthroughs in genetics present us with a promise and a predicament. The promise is that we will soon be able to treat and prevent a host of debilitating diseases. The predicament is that our newfound genetic knowledge may enable us to manipulate our nature—to enhance our genetic traits and those of our children. Although most people find at least some forms of genetic engineering disquieting, it is not easy to articulate why. What is wrong with re-engineering our nature? The Case against Perfection explores these and other moral quandaries connected with the quest to perfect ourselves and our children. Michael Sandel argues that the pursuit of perfection is flawed for reasons that go beyond safety and fairness. The drive to enhance human nature through genetic technologies is objectionable because it represents a bid for mastery and dominion that fails to appreciate the gifted character of human powers and achievements. Carrying us beyond familiar terms of political discourse, this book contends that the genetic revolution will change the way philosophers discuss ethics and will force spiritual questions back onto the political agenda. In order to grapple with the ethics of enhancement, we need to confront questions largely lost from view in the modern world. Since these questions verge on theology, modern philosophers and political theorists tend to shrink from them. But our new powers of biotechnology make these questions unavoidable. Addressing them is the task of this book, by one of America’s preeminent moral and political thinkers.