Overview

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?

Full Product Details

Author:   Verna V. Gehring ,  Harold W. Baillie ,  William A. Galston ,  Sara Goering
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 15.00cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.218kg
ISBN:  

9780742533356

ISBN 10:   0742533352
Pages:   144
Publication Date:   27 September 2003
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Part 1 I. The Concept of the Natural Chapter 2 Genetic Engineering and the Concept of the Natural Chapter 3 Unnatural Farming and the Debate over Genetic Manipulation Part 4 II. Our (Modified?) Human Nature Chapter 5 Genetic Engineering and Our Human Nature Chapter 6 Normal Humans, Human Nature, and Genetic Lessons Part 7 III. The Ethics (and Politics) of Genetic Technologies Chapter 8 Finessing Nature Chapter 9 Stem Cell Research and the Legacy of Abortion Chapter 10 What Makes Genetic Discrimination Exceptional? Chapter 11 My Fair Baby: What's Wrong with Parents Genetically Enhancing Their Children? Chapter 12 The Ethics of Making the Body Beautiful: What Cosmetic Genetics Can Learn from Cosmetic Surgery

Reviews

Of books on the social and ethical implications of genetic knowledge there is no end. But this one is different, exploring such fundamental questions as the importance of nature as a moral guide and looking down the road to what all of this means for the human future. Interesting, thoughtful, immensely readable. -- Daniel Callahan, cofounder and President Emeritus, The Hastings Center Genetic Prospects is a selection of papers on some of the most philosophically interesting aspects of modern biotechnology. These papers are written in clear English without undue reliance on jargon, and the author's arguments are concise. This book would be a valuable resource in an upper level undergraduate course in genetic ethics and it would be of interest to non-specialist readers who want to get a flavor of the current debates on the morality of genetic engineering. The papers make a solid contribution to the academic literature in the field. * Metapsychology Online * Gehring has assembled a comprehensive collection of the best, latest debates, in a form that is readable, short, and coherent. No scholar or teacher of ethics in the new era of 'genetic institutions' should miss Genetic Prospects. -- Glenn McGee, editor-in-chief of American Journal of Bioethics and author of Beyond Genetics

Of books on the social and ethical implications of genetic knowledge there is no end. But this one is different, exploring such fundamental questions as the importance of nature as a moral guide and looking down the road to what all of this means for the human future. Interesting, thoughtful, immensely readable.--Callahan, Daniel

Author Information

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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