Book Description
This text/reader performs two tasks: First, it provides a sound, comprehensive introduction to the field of conventional Western medical ethics; second, it introduces readers to cross-cultural perspectives related to these or similar issues.
Book Description
Listen to a short interview with Michael Sandel
Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & Crane
Breakthroughs in genetics present us with a promise and a predicament. The promise is that we will soon be able to treat and prevent a host of debilitating diseases. The predicament is that our newfound genetic knowledge may enable us to manipulate our nature--to enhance our genetic traits and those of our children. Although most people find at least some forms of genetic engineering disquieting, it is not easy to articulate why. What is wrong with re-engineering our nature?
The Case against Perfection explores these and other moral quandaries connected with the quest to perfect ourselves and our children. Michael Sandel argues that the pursuit of perfection is flawed for reasons that go beyond safety and fairness. The drive to enhance human nature through genetic technologies is objectionable because it represents a bid for mastery and dominion that fails to appreciate the gifted character of human powers and achievements. Carrying us beyond familiar terms of political discourse, this book contends that the genetic revolution will change the way philosophers discuss ethics and will force spiritual questions back onto the political agenda.
In order to grapple with the ethics of enhancement, we need to confront questions largely lost from view in the modern world. Since these questions verge on theology, modern philosophers and political theorists tend to shrink from them. But our new powers of biotechnology make these questions unavoidable. Addressing them is the task of this book, by one of America's preeminent moral and political thinkers.
Customer Reviews:
A good effort at morality from a nonreligious perspective.......2007-08-01
Michael Sandel exhibits a valiant effort at rebuilding the cracking walls of society's dam of morality. His failure is inevitable, due to the materials he uses - he relies solely on nonreligious arguments.
Now, it is admittedly my own prior conviction that reason alone can never stem the tide of relativism - but Michael Sandel has failed to convince me otherwise.
Sandel lists the norms that he wants to maintain in society: unconditional love, openness to all human life, celebration of natural talents and gifts, humility, and social solidarity. He also believes that we should seek and express our freedom not by changing ourselves to fit the world, but the other way around.
Then he explains how we are to maintain these good things: we must view life as a "gift", rather than as something in our control. Of course, Sandel doesn't claim that life really IS a gift - just that we should think of it AS a gift. We should maintain a kind of respect for the near sacredness of the natural - sacredness without a religious basis, giftedness without a giver. He almost seems to be arguing for a kind of primeval respect for the cosmic forces of nature and chance.
I don't disagree with Sandel's list of desirable social norms, or with his view that bioengineering would dull our sense of life as a gift. However, I am entirely unconvinced by his suggested cure. Why should we cling to the view that life is a "gift" if this view is in fact mistaken, if it is merely a useful verbal mirage that keeps us well-behaved? If there is no giver, then life cannot truly be a gift; rather, it is a random, chance occurrence that means nothing. And if that is the case, then why should certain social norms be privileged over others? Regardless of how seemingly good Sandel's norms appear to be, there will always be those who disagree - and who says they can't be right? Why can't we change our social norms and courageously progress into a braver, newer society?
Sandel's prescribed cure falls flat because people aren't too tempted to delude themselves, even for the common good. In a world without a giver, only we can assign true meaning and value. And so, we can't really believe that life has meaning or value other than what we choose to assign to it. We tend to sink into utilitarianism and a struggle for power - not to mention individualism and relativism.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of the book was Michael Sandel's last chapter, which is a defense of embryonic stem cell research. In a book that attempts to convince the reader to respect human beings, this is a disillusioning finish that rather spoils the appetite.
Short Atlantic Monthly article way better.......2007-06-12
I bought this book because I really enjoyed the Atlantic Monthly article that preceded this effort. Unfortunately, this book didn't include any additional substance but a lot more fluff. I was totally bored with the effort and pretty disappointed. I would not recommend spending $20 on this book, but rather dig up a pdf of the article and enjoy it instead.
A new moral vision begins to take shape..........2007-06-06
This is a small but very impressive book: timely, interesting, original, extremely well informed, very clearly written, organized, and argued, and largely persuasive. Reading it (in two sittings) was like listening to the two best applied ethics lectures I've ever heard (and I've heard lots). I strongly recommend this book.
It seemed to me, nonetheless, that one of the main moral criteria Sandel relies on got a bit blurred by the end. The distinction between manipulative molding (bad) and respectful beholding (good) seems to me to draw the line of moral permissibility too far into passivity territory. It'd be better to recognize, as Sandel does in the nice appendix on the stem cell debate, that there are molding beholdings or respectful manipulations, i.e., active interventions that respect and help develop the intrinsic capacitites at issue. But if the mold/behold dichotomy blurs that way, it would seem to undermine the hard and original line Sandel takes against bioengineering in the main part of the book. It would suggest, instead, that we could indeed allow some forms of genetic enhancement so long as they respect the intrinsic excellences we decide matter most. (How we are to decide that is a tricky issue broached but not delved into in this book.) If this is right, however, it would put Sandel much closer to the liberal eugenicists he criticizes.
In the end, I think Sandel's book is great: insightful, thought-provoking, and largely persuasive. Sandel articulates an original and deeply humane vision that ethicists, politicians, and other thinking citizens very much need to hear -- and then develop further. (Interestingly, Sandel's ethical vision seems surprisingly close to the later Heidegger in several crucial respects; the book suggests that he was influenced by a Heideggerian theologian and some brilliant undergraduate at Harvard, but I'd guess there's more to it than that.)
Book Description
M->CREATED
Customer Reviews:
Horrible!.......2007-02-19
Unfortunately, I did not read the fine print of this book. It is a christian based book with a huge bias. It does not address ETHICAL issues only religious arguments. I wish some of the authors would have been more educated on genetics and the field of genetic counseling, since it was evident that the authors were uneducated.
Amazon.com
Will the genetic research that gave us the Flavr Savr tomato also give us the power to customize our children? Medical thinker Gregory Stock believes that this is precisely what's happening and that we'd better get used to it fast. Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future explores gender selection, gene therapy, germinal choice, and many more options available now or in the near future, but lays aside the hysteria common to such discussions.
Stock sees the cloning controversy as a distraction from issues of real importance, such as balancing offspring trait selection against eugenics. Writing with the clarity and precision of a philosopher, Stock engages his readers with thought exercises and real-life examples. While not a brainless cheerleader for big science, he believes that we can, and certainly will, use any means necessary to give our children an edge, even if it means profound changes for our species. Redesigning Humans offers the hope that these changes need not be catastrophic if we pay attention now. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
A groundbreaking work, Redesigning Humans tackles the controversial subject of engineering the human germline -- the process of permanently altering the genetic code of an individual so that the changes are passed on to the offspring. Gregory Stock, an expert on the implications of recent advances in reproductive biology, has glimpsed the inevitable future of biomedical engineering. Within decades, Stock asserts, technological advances will bring meaningful changes to our offspring; this scientific revolution promises to fundamentally alter the human species. With recent findings presented in a new afterword, Stock's provocative assessment cuts through the debate to envision an age of radical biotechnological advancement and unprecedented human choice.
Customer Reviews:
Good topic, poor book.......2007-03-08
This book could have been written in 1/3 the pages. It continously poses the same argument for the same reasons over and over. Yes, that is good for emphasis, but unfortunately it does so in a few places ineffectively. There are numerous logical errors throughout the book (3 in the first 15 pages) and a couple of poor editing points making this book painful to read at points. I give this book its second star only for the great topic it attempts to talk about.
Like It Or No, a Solid Overview of the Field.......2007-01-12
The author, putting aside the social debate on the subject, does an excellent job of presenting what is happening and what will happen in the genetic engineering field in the coming years. The impulse towards eugenics comes hand-in-hand with a culture obsessed with the material. Equally so, the impulse to protect one's child from cancer and heart disease will play a role. Regardless of the source of new genetic practices, the practices themselves will change our society.
If you'd like to understand just what that society might look like, take a look at this excellent work.
finally, objective coverage of this subject without preaching.......2006-04-01
ive read several books on this topic, and this is the best of them. the author faces the reality that humans will take advantage of emerging genetic technologies as they become available, safe, and affordable. it really is an "inevitable genetic future", but most authors are lost on that fact as they yammer endlessly about this and that precaution. people are comfortable with the status quo and try to preserve it. pioneers see that it wont last and look beyond. make no mistake, this author too addresses precautions but doesnt overdo it like other commentators. the authors stance on redesigning humans is not so much unqualified support for it as it is acceptance of its inevitability. the author does support it but in a dignified manner i thought, not in a cheerleading fashion.
this book is a look at what will come to be. its not a question of if, but when. that said, you should know whats in store for mankind. i find it very exciting. this isnt time travel, its something more immediate. america and the west may resist now, but the East shows no such disinclination. once they leapfrog us, as they are poised to do, we will see the folly of our overprotective ways. but i would be interested to discuss this in the forum.
a thought provoking and concise book (about 220 pgs without extras at the end), also recent. highly recommended.
A Candid Look at Man's Future.......2005-04-21
Throughout the world, there are ongoing debates over whether the human genome should be tampered with. Legislation has already been passed prohibiting numerous variants of genetic engineering as it applies to humans. But in this book, Gregory Stock explains that we will eventually have the technology to change ourselves intrinsically, and that we will also use it. He strongly advises us to look toward the future and make decisions regarding how this newfound knowledge should be used, instead of simply whether it should be used.
Genetic engineering has the potential to cure nearly every disease on earth. For hereditary diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, this is the only way they will ever be cured. There is much ongoing research into finding a cure for genetic diseases, and eventually those efforts will meet with success. Once this happens, parents could be screened for defective genes, and if they do have them, their children could be genetically engineered to not have them. It would be cruel to deny these parents the only option they have to bear a healthy child, and in this way, the engineering of the human genome will begin.
Once diseases begin to be cured through this method, a line will have to be drawn determining what is a disease and what must be lived with. Is high cholesterol worth curing? What about obesity, ADD, or nearsightedness? All of these have a strong genetic component, and could be significantly reduced through genetic engineering. Inevitably, different countries will have different laws regarding what is considered a disease.
Eventually, genetic engineering will extend into the realm of what isn't a disease, but which could be improved on. Attributes such as intelligence, life span, physical capabilities, and talents could all be under the control of prospective parents.
This book is a startling look at the near future of the human species, and whether you thing genetically engineered humans are a good idea or not, this book is worth reading. Dr. Stock does a superb job at approaching this subject from a neutral perspective, stating not what he hopes will happen, but which he believes will happen. He gives many other examples of what can be accomplished with genetic engineering as well as what has already been accomplished in animals. He also corrects many of the myths surrounding this technology, many which have come from popular science fiction. If you have any questions or doubts concerning genetic engineering, this is an excellent book to read.
Convincing, to a point.......2005-04-13
Gregory Stock writes well, and Redesigning Humans is an enjoyable read. Beyond that, nothing he puts foward is beyond the realm of reasonable possibility. Just the same, read with a bit of skepticism. He's a bit too much of a futurist, and while that's obviously the intention and draw of the book, I think it's much more worthwhile contrasted with something like Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us by Rodney Brooks
Book Description
Technology evolves at a dazzling speed, and nowhere more so than in the field of genetic engineering, where the possibility of directly changing the genes of one's children is quickly becoming a reality. The public is rightly concerned, but interestingly, they have not had much to say about the implications of recent advancements in human genetics.
Playing God? asks why and explores the social forces that have led to the thinning out of public debate over human genetic engineering. John H. Evans contends that the problem lies in the structure of the debate itself. Disputes over human genetic engineering concern the means for achieving assumed ends, rather than being a healthy discussion about the ends themselves. According to Evans, this change in focus occurred as the jurisdiction over the debate shifted from scientists to bioethicists, a change which itself was caused by the rise of the bureaucratic state as the authority in such matters. The implications of this timely study are twofold. Evans not only explores how decisions about the ethics of human genetic engineering are made, but also shows how the structure of the debate has led to the technological choices we now face.
Book Description
In The Ethics of Food, Gregory E. Pence brings together a collection of voices who share the view that the ethics of genetically modified food is among the most pressing societal questions of our time. This comprehensive collection addresses a broad range of subjects, including the meaning of food, moral analyses of vegetarianism and starvation, the safety and environmental risks of genetically modified food, issues of global food politics and the food industry, and the relationships among food, evolution, and human history.
Customer Reviews:
Needs More Radical Pieces but OK.......2003-04-12
I was pleased to see articles in this book by so many respected activists in the growing, world-wide movement to take back food from agribusiness and give control of it to indigenous peoples. The inclusion of wrtiers here such as Vandana Shiva, Mae Wan-Ho,
geneticist and eco-warior Marc Lappe, Greenpeace itself, and others makes me think that finally the Truth is getting out. I was disappointed to see almost as many articles from scientists, who obviously are on the take from Novartis and AstraZeneca that supports their work and gives them patents on terminator genes, but I guess they had to be included to make everything appear "balanced" and "fair" (as if we need to "fair" to greed and lies.)If you want to know about the REAL politics of food, and want to read some of the good guys (as well as some of the bad guys), this is as good a place to start as anywhere (and I haven't seen too many places to start!).
tells it like it is.......2003-01-22
The debate about genetically-reorganized food in the literature astounds me by how passionate it is on both sides.This is IDEOLOGY infecting science on both sides. Pence does a good job of including the true passion on both sides of this intense debate. Warning: this book is NOT for those interested in charts, tables, numbers or dry technical articles. The articles selected, both by scientists and anti-scientists, show how committed each side is to the pluses and minuses of organic vs. GM food, eating meat vs vegetarianism, and capitalism vs. anti-capitalism. All in all, a fine anthologoy that accurately conveys the feelings of this new debate.
Biases in the name of ethics.......2002-05-08
This should be a good book. It deals with current debates about food--mostly about genetically modified (genetically engineered) food, but with a nod to vegetarianism, the food industry, and other issues. Essays from both sides of the issues are presented.
Unfortunately, this is not a good book. The problem is that the essays are not serious or scientific pieces, but popular op-ed items, many of them outrageously biased and distorting. The editor has good credentials as an ethicist and expert on the issues, and so do a few of the writers (Norman Borlaug, Nicols Fox...), but most of the writers are political acitivists, industry shills, or experts on technology who are notably ignorant of ethics. Even the editor himself takes leave of his hard-won credentials in his essay here, which is long on rhetoric and very short on data.
The section on vegetarianism may stand as typical: it consists of a short article by Peter Singer, longtime anchor of the most extreme pro-animal and anti-meat side, and an even shorter piece by Stuart Patton, who presents half-truths in defense of the meat industry. Similarly, in a section on food biotechnology, Marc Lappe, who is well beyond the pale in the anti-industry direction, is balanced by Andrew Trewavas, an industry apologist. They simply dismiss each other's arguments--hardly a credible way to deal with real problems.
The sole exception is the section on the food industry, which matches Nicols Fox' good, well-researched reportage with a thorough, objective report by USFDA on its regulation system. Comparing this section with the rest of the book shows what could have been done--and wasn't.
Because of the general lack of extensive, fair, data-based treatment of the issues, both scientific and ethical, the book loses all chance of presenting a reasonable middle ground on the ethical issues. On genetically modified foods, for instance, the sensible position would be test them for safety, as we test other new foods, and use them if they pass the tests. Instead, what we have in the world today is a choice: either totally trust the food industry and use the new foods without serious test, as we do in the US, or ban them outright and lose all their very real advantages, as Europe does. This choice is neither reasonable nor necessary.
It seems to me that the world already has far too much biased and inadequate reportage and rhetoric--not least in the area of food ethics. Giving it more spin, under a prestigious editorship and publisher, seems to me rather less than helpful.
The editor has neglected better material; SCIENCE magazine, for example, has carried moderate and data-driven op-ed pieces, letters, and articles on several of these topics.
Average customer rating:
- Wide-ranging and effective critique of genetic engineering
- A cutting edged critique
- Relief to the Brave New World
- We are involved in a global war
- Excellent and wideranging coverage of this complex subject
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Redesigning Life?: The Worldwide Challenge to Genetic Engineering
Brian Tokar
Manufacturer: Zed Books
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Gene Traders: Biotechnology, World Trade, and the Globalization of Hunger
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Engineering Trouble: Biotechnology and Its Discontents
ASIN: 1856498352 |
Book Description
In today's world genetic engineering, animal cloning and new reproductive technologies are being promoted as the keys to a brighter future. But plenty of farmers, scientists, and concerned citizens disagree. Growing evidence shows that genetically engineered foods are hazardous to our health and the environment. Animal cloning and human genetic engineering raise troubling ethical questions. This book examines the hidden hazards, and controversy, of these new genetic technologies.
Customer Reviews:
Wide-ranging and effective critique of genetic engineering.......2002-03-06
You may have heard the biotech industry's claims that genetic engineering (GE) is the key to eradicating hunger, improving the environment, and helping humans live healthier lives. Yet, many people have resisted the adoption of these technologies (mainly in Europe but increasingly in the U.S.). Do these protests have validity?
This excellent book convincingly argues that Yes, the public should be concerned about GE. Its 31 essays are written by an assortment of knowledgeable but concerned scientists and activists. Some of them are ex-industry insiders who clearly understand the technical issues involved. These writers resoundingly dispel the industry's usual claim that GE dissenters are uninformed neo-Luddites.
It is clear that the biotech industry exists principally to make money for its investors. Statements about making the world a better place are, in fact, little more than a public relations smoke screen but have been effective in that it gives cover for politicians and regulators who must approve much of what the industry does.
It is a bit surprising that most people are not more concerned about the ownership of life forms (including human DNA) by private companies. To date, this has mostly affected farmers who are impelled to buy patent-protected seed, but in the future it may have profound implications for most people too. Several essays drill into this particular topic in detail, and are eye-opening.
Other articles focus on the many serious technical concerns that exist, such as the threat of cross-pollination. It is alarming to learn that companies such as Monsanto push aggressively to get new products approved, despite evidence that they may be dangerous.
The book also suggests common sense solutions to many of the problems that the biotech industry claims to be solving. For example, instead of growing GE pigs to produce replacement human body parts, why not simply encourage more people to participate in organ donor programs? If participation rates were increased in the U.S. to levels comparable to some other places in the world, there would be no shortage.
If you want to be better informed about the vitally important topic of GE, I strongly encourage you to read this book.
A cutting edged critique.......2001-08-22
'A cutting edge critique of today's headlong rush toward genetic engineering and the ways in which a few corporate "gene giants" are dominating global food supplies and pirating the planet's biodiversity, the human genome and the keys to life itself.' - Hazel Henderson, author, Beyond Globalization and Building A Win-Win World
Relief to the Brave New World.......2001-08-22
At our think tank we have watched a rather unfortuante level of triumphalism to the new genetic technologies. From Dolly to Rael to boistrous Italians and to "experts" at the American Academy for the "Advancement" of Science (AAAS) far too many individuals and institutions have staked a supportive claim for the new biotechnologies.
What these modern Huxley's fail to do, however, is locate biotechnology in a clear political-economic, and historical context. For most of these John-come-lately's (the antedeluvian, US President included) biotechnologies happen in the ever present now. Such experts provide little to no understanding of the deep historical relationship of the "new" technologies to their legacy with the global eugenics movement--that always includes Nazi racial-hygiene efforts.
Finally, Brian Tokar and his colleagues have arrived. Not with a venegenace, but with a calm, much needed, political-economic, historical and analytical insight, to be both appreciated and championed.
This book is important inasmuch as it contains a critical ad-mixture of prominent environmentalists from the North (e.g., a Director of the quasi-rightwing, xenophobic Sierra Club--that recently voted (unsuccesfully) to ban immigrants from the US) and the South (Vandana Shiva, acclaimed Indian scientists and activists for biosafety and much else) and many others that don't come out screaming.
Beyond the enviro-authors are many other scientists and activists many broadly published and read elsewhere.
The environmentalists contribution is notable and important inasmuch, despite the anti-GE-food movement they have spawned, environmentalists and other liberals would arguably be the first in line to receive the new genetic technologies, as few if any of these middle to upper-middle class liberals (Heller, Schmidt, Dorsey, et. al.) and global jet-setters (Shiva, Burrows, Von Weisacker, et. al.) would want to "produce" feeble-minded children to attend to the Harvard and Yale factories.
More importantly these folks make the point over and over again that biotechnology, as all technologies, just does NOT just happen out of some benevolent transnational ether, to "save the planet" or "cure diseases". Instead interested parties, Monsanto and its underlings, and a host of others, are out to make money.
Of course nothing is inherently wrong with making money (despite liberal angst against it), yet when we understand biotech in this light, we are forced to see it for what its worth and to whom.
So Redesigning Life is a very important contribution--especially in an age where anyone who dares tell the truth about the thuggery of Monsanto, the potential dangerous and unethical outcomes of Rael or the deadly consequence of GE food may face unwarranted attacks from those that would dare and be able to differ, if only with their huge budgets and fat pockets.
The books other bonus is that each chapter can be consumed one part at a time, in any order. Although overall the text is a terrifically coherent whole.
Its more than appropriate for reading groups, students (at all levels) and the curious citizen, interested in some solid research on the matter.
We highly recommend it.
We are involved in a global war.......2001-08-22
'We are involved in a global war called genetic engineering. Most of us are totally unprepared to fight this war. Reading Redesigning Life is mandatory if you want you and your offspring to enjoy life as we have known it.' - Howard F. Lyman, President, EarthSave International, and author, Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth From the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat
Excellent and wideranging coverage of this complex subject.......2001-08-22
'The biotechnology industry has taken us beyond natural evolution into the unknown terrain of a never-to-be-natural-again world. We know nothing of the long-term biological, ecological, economic, public health and animal welfare impacts of this new technology. This book, with its excellent and wide-ranging coverage of this complex subject, will help us awaken to the costs and potentially harmful, even catastrophic, consequences.' - Dr. Michael W. Fox, Senior Scholar, Bioethics, The Humane Society of the United States, Washington, DC
Average customer rating:
- Genetic Hocus-Pocus
- This is the future!
- Disappointing Revision
- A discerning report about the impact of genetic research
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Genome: Story of Most Astonishing Scientific Adventure-Attempt to Map All Genes in Body
Michael Waldholz , and
Jerry E. Bishop
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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Curing Cancer : Solving One of the Greatest Medical Mysteries of Our Time
ASIN: 0671670948 |
Book Description
Told with the pacing of a great suspense novel, Genome tells the very real story of what could be the most ambitious scientific research project ever undertaken: the attempt to identify all the genes in the human body; estimated to number from 50,000 to 100,000. These genes, located in the nucleus of the human cell, contain the blueprints for thousands of proteins that make up the body's tissues and vital organs, from muscles to brain cells, as well as the instructions for making the thousands of chemicals that literally give us life.
By mapping the human genome, scientists can study and even reproduce the chemical components that run the human machine. This knowledge will revolutionize the treatments for and the prevention of diseases. In this newly updated edition, the authors explain how we may soon have the ability to control our genetic fate. This unprecendented power, however, presents society with new dangers. In Genome, we learn much about the fascinating challenges...both scientific and ethical...that lie ahead.
Customer Reviews:
Genetic Hocus-Pocus.......2000-05-29
Excellent survey of 2 decades of progress in genetics, 1970-1990. The updated part of the book is a 15 page Epilogue, hardly doing justice to the past explosive decade. Authors put great conflict and human interest into their stories, e.g., the couple, each carrying the recessive gene for cystic fibrosis, had each given it to both of two daughters before they realized they were playing genetic casino. They "realized their gamble only after they've already lost the bet." The questions of whether to offer a new gene test for a serious malady when no treatment was available were especially troubling to the researchers.
Authors present a scary picture for the future role of medicine and physicians. Doctors will have to order genetic profiles to avoid malpractice. In pharmacogenetics, drug companies will take one's blood to develop personalized medicine to avoid side effects. The profile will allow them to peek into your health, your personality, your IQ potential and physical skills. With that genetic profile they can, with their pals the insurance companies, become tyrannical Big Brothers.
Authors try to raise red flags about future genetic discrimination. They don't seem to realize how much of current discrimination is already based on genetics. Society has been coping with discrimination for centuries. They mention the probable arising of a biological underclass (perhaps like the caste of untouchables in India?) and see that a genetic profile could become a scarlet letter following one throughout one's life. Employers would get the data and make a group unemployable. But aren't there already laws protecting the handicapped? In the near future most everyone will be seen with defective genes and partially handicapped.
Perhaps, however, Author's concern about a hereditary meritocracy is just genetic hocus-pocus. One's current illusions of choice and one's ignorance of the current genetic basis to behavior are likely to continue. The realization that one typo in the replication of a gene can cause a defect or disease is not likely to change one's current illusions of self control. The vast number of 3 billion interrelated nucleotides will more than likely always keep both science and lay people amazed at the complexity of human life.
This is the future!.......2000-04-06
A difficult but very important book! As a non-scientist, I had to go slowly and carefully through the chapters, remembering the key technical words. But it is more than worth the trouble. This is our future and we must think about not only the medical promise involved, but the cultural implications it brings. By all means read it!
Disappointing Revision.......2000-02-19
Several years back, I received the initial edition of Genome as a gift. And what a gift it was! I've read it cover to cover many times, and it has sparked in this lay reader a sincere interest in genetic research. It conveyed the excitement of discovery in an understandable and readable way.
Then I started looking for additional books that survey the status of genetics research in the same way Genome did. I always wished that another, updated version of Genome would come along. Lo and behold, one did!
And now for the disappointing news. The "updated version" doesn't deliver. One short epilogue chapter is added to cover all of the happenings in the field in the past 10 years! Even the pictures are poor in quality, implying to me a rush to press on the part of the publisher. What happened with the experiemental treatments for DMD? What's new on the race to uncover the secrets of cancer? How goes the battle for our ethics to catch up with the science? No answers to be found here that date from any time after early 1990.
All this said, the material is still exciting to read, and I would recommend it to someone testing the waters in genetic research. But for those who's interest was sparked by the original Genome, this update isn't worth the money.
A discerning report about the impact of genetic research.......1997-10-23
My dad has worked closely with Mike Waldholtz in revealing the dynamics of genetic research as it moves from a descriptive science into an actual tool in medicine. Like many other journalists his age, Jerry is retired, and spends many hours plying his grandchildren with gold coins.
Book Description
Journalism and mass communications professionals entering the innovative world of new media technology face a wave of challenging and often unanticipated ethical quandaries. Digital Dilemmas: Ethical Issues for Online Media Professionals is the first title in Blackwell Publishing's Media and Technology series (Alan B. Albarran, series editor). This important new text establishes a framework for discussing, understanding, and ultimately making sound decisions on meeting these ethical challenges. In addition, the book provides guidelines for approaching and making decisions from an ethical standpoint.Part one of the text gives background and overview information to examine existing professional ethical codes and their applicability in the new media. Part two delves into the ethical dilemmas faced by all online communications professionals -privacy, speech and intellectual property. Part three warns the reader about three specific types of ethical hazards -speed vs. accuracy and quality; validating Internet sources; and blurring editorial with commercial information.Through the use of historical summaries, discussion of specific problems, case study illustrations, critical thinking exercises, chapter summaries, key points, and recommended readings, each chapter comprehensively explores ethical issues. Aimed at students as well as practicing journalists and media professionals, Digital Dilemmas serves as the essential text and user 's guide to the emerging ethical challenges facing those who work or plan to work in the online media.
Books:
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living
- Images of Organization
- Images of Organization
- Images of Organization
Books Index
Books Home
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