Overview
- Editors:
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B. Andrew Lustig
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Davidson College, USA
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Baruch A. Brody
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Baylor College of Medicine, USA
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Gerald P. McKenny
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University of Notre Dame, USA
- A rich interdisciplinary exploration of the meanings of ‘nature’ and ‘the natural’ as religious, philosophical and moral norms
- An extensive critical review of recent ethical discussions of developments in biotechnology
- An analysis of the implications of different interpretations of nature as a norm for policy discussions on specific topics in biotechnology
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
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- B. Andrew Lustig, Baruch A. Brody, Gerald P. McKenny
Pages 1-12
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- Aaron L. Mackler, Ebrahim Moosa, Allen Verhey, Anne Carolyn Klein, Kurt Peters
Pages 13-62
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- John H. Zammito, Philip J. Ivanhoe, Helen Longino, Phillip R. Sloan
Pages 63-136
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- Laurence B. McCullough, John Caskey, Thomas R. Cole, Andrew Wear
Pages 137-198
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- Mary Anderlik Majumder, Margaret M. Byrne, Elias Bongmba, Leslie S. Rothenberg, Nancy Neveloff Dubler
Pages 199-273
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- Suzanne Anker, Susan Lindee, Edward A. Shanken, Dorothy Nelkin
Pages 275-321
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Back Matter
Pages 323-332
About this book
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.
Editors and Affiliations
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Davidson College, USA
B. Andrew Lustig
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Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Baruch A. Brody
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University of Notre Dame, USA
Gerald P. McKenny