Genetic Prospects: Essays on Biotechnology, Ethics, and Public Policy

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Verna V. Gehring
Rowman & Littlefield, 2003 - 132 páginas
While the collapse of the Soviet Union has diminished the force of George Orwell's 1984, the other great dystopian tract of the twentieth century, Alduous Huxley's Brave New World, is timelier than ever. The ongoing process of genetic science may well revolutionize medicine and human reproduction, and it may end by giving us the ability to transform the human species itself. This new power has raised hopes that we will solve a range of genetically based problems that afflict us. It has also evoked fears that we are on the verge of a 'post human' future in which precious but necessary norms regulating individual and social life will be set aside. Will we have the moral and political wisdom to avoid the pitfalls in using new biotechnologies? Genetic Prospects considers the resources from which the needed norms and maxims might be drawn, scrutinizing carefully the contributions of common sense, religion, and moral sentiment. Taken together, the essays in this volume apply philosophical analysis to address three kinds of questions: What are the implications of genetic science for our understanding of nature? What might it influence in our conception of human nature? What challenges does genetic science poses for specific issues of private conduct or public policy?

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Índice

Genetic Engineering and the Concept of the Natural
11
Unnatural Farming and the Debate over Genetic Manipulation
27
Genetic Engineering and Our Human Nature
41
Normal Humans Human Nature and Genetic Lessons
49
Finessing Nature
61
Stem Cell Research and the Legacy of Abortion
73
What Makes Genetic Discrimination Exceptional?
83
My Fair Baby Whats Wrong with Parents Genetically Enhancing Their Children?
97
The Ethics of Making the Body Beautiful What Cosmetic Genetics Can Learn from Cosmetic Surgery
109
Index
121
About the Editor and Contributors
127
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Verna V. Gehring is editor of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland, and editor of Philosophy & Public Policy Quarterly. She is also a moderator for the Aspen Institute.

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