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ETHICS AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
Rajkumar
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What Is Genetic Engineering?
Genetic Engineering = Creating organisms
with novel genetic sequences.
Reiss and Straughan 1996
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Pest Resistance: Bt Corn
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Herbicide Tolerance
RoundupReady
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Enhanced Nutrition
Golden rice
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Commercial Value
Fast-growing salmon
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Ethical Arguments About
Biotechnology
Intrinsic(inherant): Biotechnology is good/bad in itself
Extrinsic: Biotechnology is good/bad because of: its
consequences
the motivations behind:
advocacy of biotech or
opposition to biotech
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Intrinsic Arguments Against
Biotechnology
Premise: Genetic engineering is unnatural.
Conclusion: Therefore, genetic engineering isintrinsically
wrong.
Is this a good argument?
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Intrinsic Arguments Against
Biotechnology
Genetic engineering requires that we take areductionist view of
life that sees onlygenes, not
individuals, as important. From the reductionist perspective,
life is merely the aggregate
representation of the chemicals that give rise to it and
thereforethey see no ethical problemwhatsoever in transferringeven
ahundred genes from one species into the heredity blueprint of
another species. Jeremy Rifkin
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Extrinsic Arguments About
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is good/bad because of itsconsequences.
Three ways to evaluate consequences: Do no harm (avoid bad
consequences).
Maximize good consequences andminimize bad ones
forallaffected.
Justice:Fair distribution of good and bad consequencesamongall
affected.
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Extrinsic Arguments About
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is good/bad because of the
motivations of its proponents/opponents.
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Extrinsic Arguments:
Motivations
Friends of the Earth: Golden rice may never helppoorfarmers, but
it could give the beleaguered Europeanbiotech industry a new grasp
on life.
Florence Wambugu: These critics [of biotech], who havenever
experienced hungerand death on the scale wesadly witness in Africa,
are content to keepAfricans
dependent on food aid from industrialized nations whilemass
starvation occurs.
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Extrinsic Arguments About
Biotechnology
Environmental consequences
Human health consequences
Who benefits?
Who decides?
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The Precautionary Principle
Whenan activity raises threats of harm to the environment or
humanhealth,precautionarymeasures should be taken even if some
causeand effect relationships are not fully established
scientifically.
Wingspread Statement on the PrecautionaryPrinciple, Jan.
1998
Lackof full scientific certainty shall not be used as areason
forpostponing cost-effectivemeasures to prevent
environmentaldegradation.
RioDeclaration 1992
