Genetic Democracy: Philosophical PerspectivesVeikko Launis, Juha Räikkä Springer Science & Business Media, 2007 M12 20 - 148 pages “Genetic Democracy” involves an in-depth analysis of the ethical, social and philosophical issues related to modern genetic research and gene technology. The aim of the book is to introduce systematic research on the social and ethical impacts of the use and development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as well as the acquisition, use and storage of human genetic information (HGI). The book contributes to enhancing public discussion and reaching fair and democratic decision-making practices in GMO and HGI use and development both on local and global level. There are currently few European texts which address the issues involved in a theoretical and systematical manner. “Genetic Democracy” has been written from the viewpoint of social and political philosophy rather than that of traditional bioethics. There is a clear need for a throughout and authoritative philosophical and ethical analysis of the issues involved in genetic research and gene technology. The book will appeal to philosophers, social scientists, genetics professionals, policy makers, academics, industrial organisations and human rights organisations as well as university students and legal scholars. The book will have a broad appeal across Europe, Asia and America since many states are currently considering policy responses to many of the practices discussed in the books (e.g., human biobanks). |
From inside the book
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... knowledge and technology to ethical decision-making and democracy. The title of the volume, Genetic Democracy, was composed to bring into focus the at the same time complex and powerful role genetic science and technology have in ...
... knowledge about the predictable advantageous and disadvantageous (medical, social, psychological, political and economic) consequences of the activities and policy options considered. In theory, such an assessment should not be ...
... knowledge on the risks of modern agri-biotechnology: the fact that there are uncertainties concerning the long-term environmental threats and health hazards and the fact that many alleged risks are matters of ongoing scientific disputes ...
... Knowledge-intensive societies in the highly developed Western world.3 The qualitative emergent features of the Biosociety will most probably be related to our knowledge of genetic features of living beings, like plants, animals and of ...
... knowledge and misguided fears. Those who support such views assume that when people learn more about gene-technologies, they will also accept them and agree with scientists and decision-makers about the way technologies should be used ...
Contents
9 | |
Ethical Expertise in Democratic Societies | 21 |
The UNESCO Universal Declaration | 30 |
Autonomy and Genetic Privacy | 43 |
Against Radicalism | 53 |
The Precautionary Principle and the Risks of Modern AgriBiotechnology | 75 |
Population Databanks and Democracy in Light of the Icelandic Experience | 93 |
Vilhjálmur Árnason and Stefán Hjörleifsson | 105 |
Genetic Resources Genetic Democracy and Genetic Equity | 121 |
Moral Constraints on Permissible Genetic Design | 133 |