Ethical Issues in Biotechnology

by Richard Sherlock Utah State University, John D. Morrey, Nicholas Agar, Miguel Altieri, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Overview

Ethical Issues in Biotechnology is the first textbook of its kind, written collaboratively by a philosopher and a biologist to provide undergraduate students with a comprehensive, accessible introduction to the ethical and scientific fundamentals of biotechnology. Engaging the ethics and the science side by side, the text addresses pressing questions in agricultural, food, and animal biotechnology; human genetics; gene therapy; human cloning; and stem cell research.

A general introduction to both the moral philosophy and fundamentals of genetics is enhanced throughout the text with section-specific introductions addressing the particular philosophical and scientific challenges posed by the topic under consideration. Diagrams and drawings, study cases, liberal use of practical examples, and suggestions for further reading make the text an ideal resource for a broad range of students interested in issues and questions lying at the intersection of philosophy and genetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742513570
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/16/2002
Pages:	664
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.32(h) x 1.38(d)

About the Author

Richard Sherlock is professor of philosophy at Utah State University. John D. Morrey is research professor in the Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences at Utah State University. Professors Sherlock and Morrey team teach an undergraduate course on ethical issues in biotechnology at Utah State.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Part 2 I. Fundamental Issues of Ethics and Biotechnology
Chapter 3 How to Assess the Consequences of Genetic Engineering
Chapter 4 Redesigning the World: Ethical Questions About Genetic Engineering
Chapter 5 "Playing God" and Invoking a Perspective
Chapter 6 Genetic Trespassing and Environmental Ethics
Part 7 II. Agricultural Biotechnology
Chapter 8 Differing Views of the Benefits and Risks of Agricultural Biotechnology
Chapter 9 Risk and Risk Management
Chapter 10 Journey to the Origin: Biological Integrity and Agriculture
Chapter 11 Three Concepts of Genetic Trespassing
Chapter 12 Ten Reasons Why Biotechnology Will Be Important to the Developing World
Chapter 13 Ten Reasons Why Biotechnology Will Not Ensure Food Security, Protect the Environment, or Reduce Poverty in the Developing World
Part 14 III. Food Biotechnology
Chapter 15 The Scientific and Health Aspects of Genetically Modified Foods: Rapporteurs' Summary
Chapter 16 The Safety of Foods Developed by Biotechnology
Chapter 17 Hazards of Genetically Engineered Foods and Crops: Why We Need a Global Moratorium
Chapter 18 Why We Need Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food
Chapter 19 Ethical Issues in Food Biotechnology
Part 20 IV. Animal Biotechnology
Chapter 21 A Critical View of the Genetic Engineering of Farm Animals
Chapter 22 The "Frankenstein Thing": The Moral Impact of Genetic Engineering of Agricultural Animals on Society and Future Science
Chapter 23 On the Ethics of Using Animals for Human Benefit
Chapter 24 The Case for the Use of Animals in Biomedical Research
Chapter 25 Artificial Lives: Philosophical Dimensions of Farm Animal Biotechnology
Chapter 26 Genetic Engineering as Animal Slavery
Chapter 27 Uncertainty in Xenotransplantation: Individual Benefit versus Collective Risk
Chapter 28 Critical Ethical Issues in Clinical Trials with Xenotransplants
Part 29 V. Human Genetic Testing and Therapy
Chapter 30 Social, Legal, and Ethical Implications of Genetic Testing
Chapter 31 Genetic Links, Family Ties, and Social Bonds: Rights and Responsibilities in the Face of Genetic Knowledge
Chapter 32 Privacy and the Control of Genetic Information
Chapter 33 The Ethics of Somatic Cell Gene Therapy
Chapter 34 Human Inheritable Genetic Modifications: Assessing Scientific, Ethical, Religious, and Policy Issues
Chapter 35 Germ-Line Genetic Engineering and Moral Diversity: Moral Controversies in a Post-Christian World
Part 36 VI. Human Cloning and Stem Cell Research
Chapter 37 Human Cloning: Report and Recommendations of the Natioanl Bioethics Advisory Commission
Chapter 38 The Wisdom of Repugnance
Chapter 39 Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning
Chapter 40 Stem Cell Research and Applications: Findings and Recommendations
Chapter 41 On Human Embryos and Stem Cell Research: An Appeal for Legally and Ethically Responsible Science and Public Policy
Chapter 42 Suggestions for Further Study
Chapter 43 Study Cases

Editorial Reviews

Sherlock and Morrey cover a fascinating and engaging set of cutting edge issues. This work covers biotechnology in the broadest sense of the word, contains masterfully selected readings, and challenges the reader to think into the future. It should be very useful to college, graduate, and professional students.

Steven Post

This will be the field-defining book for the ethics of biotechnology. It is the best one-volume guide to the issues currently being debated with respect to the new genetic technologies, and the only one that illuminates the connections between medical and agricultural applications. Teachers will use it in the classroom, but beyond that it should be thought of as an indispensable read for anyone who wants to be informed about science, ethics, and public policy.

Paul B. Thompson

The most substantial and sophisticated treatment of biomedical ethics that I have come across recently, and a treatment that remains quite accessible to undergraduate students.

Dr. S. N. Fratantaro

Richard Sherlock and John Morrey have developed a timely anthology on the ethical dimensions in biotechnology that is both scientifically sound and philosophically provocative. Engaging readings as well as a compendium of cases offer many formats for teachable dialogue between instructor and students. The questions—scientific, philosophical, political, legal, moral—examined through Ethical Issues in Biotechnology illustrate the urgent need for critical ethical scholarship in this rapidly emerging field. This anthology meets that need.

Courtney S. Campbell

All who are involved in ethics and biotechnology should be immensely grateful for [Sherlock and Morrey's] efforts. Balanced and teachable, Ethical Issues in Biotechnology is a valuable contribution to the field, and a must-have for those teaching either undergraduates enrolled in upper-level courses, or graduates students, across the disciplines of science and humanities.

Technology and Culture

It is refreshingly atypical that the book does not just focus on human cloning or human genetic screening but takes on the whole topic of biotechnology. It is enterprising and clever to have a book edited collaboratively by a biologist and a philosopher, and the result is a balanced treatment. The readings have already been proven successful with students. With diagrams, study cases, examples, and suggestions for further research, the book is a comprehensive and well-expressed introduction to the science and ethics of biotechnology.

Research News and Opportunities In Science and Theology

Sherlock and Morrey cover a fascinating and engaging set of cutting edge issues. This work covers biotechnology in the broadest sense of the word, contains masterfully selected readings, and challenges the reader to think into the future. It should be very useful to college, graduate, and professional students.--Steven Post, Case Western Reserve University

The most substantial and sophisticated treatment of biomedical ethics that I have come across recently, and a treatment that remains quite accessible to undergraduate students.--Dr. S. N. Fratantaro, Providence College

This will be the field-defining book for the ethics of biotechnology. It is the best one-volume guide to the issues currently being debated with respect to the new genetic technologies, and the only one that illuminates the connections between medical and agricultural applications. Teachers will use it in the classroom, but beyond that it should be thought of as an indispensable read for anyone who wants to be informed about science, ethics, and public policy.--Paul B. Thompson, Michigan State University, W.K. Kellogg Professor of Agricultural, Food, and Community Ethics

From the Publisher