[Download] "Interests, Identities, And Synthetic Biology (Essay)" by The Hastings Center Report * Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Interests, Identities, And Synthetic Biology (Essay)
- Author : The Hastings Center Report
- Release Date : January 01, 2011
- Genre: Life Sciences,Books,Science & Nature,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 168 KB
Description
It's too soon to know what the most important disagreements over synthetic biology will look like: how the disputes will be framed, what the stakes will be, and who will line up against whom. Some public policy disputes, even those with a great deal at stake, can be brought to apparent closure. Others continue to fester despite repeated efforts to reach a compromise. So far, synthetic biology has not ignited any raging policy conflagrations. The report of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues was generally enthusiastic about the technology, sober about the risks that could come from inadvertence or malign intent, and focused mainly on fostering sensible processes for managing risk and encouraging professional and public education and dialogue. Recommendation 10 in the report hints at concerns not exhausted by the usual lists of risks and benefits: "Discussions of moral objections to synthetic biology should be revisited periodically as research in the field advances in novel directions. Reassessment of concerns regarding the implications of synthetic biology for humans, other species, nature, and the environment should track the ongoing development of the field." (1) The report notes briefly a variety of arguments offered that synthetic biology somehow alters our conception of human agency and responsibility, blurs the line between the living and nonliving, the natural and the unnatural, or threatens humankind's relationship to nature. The commission refers to such concerns as "intrinsic objections"; it notes that similar concerns "have had a long and important place in bioethical discussions and debates" and acknowledges that they deserve "ongoing consideration as part of comprehensive efforts to assure that this field progresses within appropriate ethical boundaries." (2) It finds none of these claims particularly compelling or persuasive in the current context of synthetic biology. But Recommendation 10 leaves the door open to resurrect or recast such arguments.