Taking Biology Seriously

What Biology Can and Cannot Tell Us About Moral and Public Policy Issues

By (author) Inmaculada Melo-Martín

Publication date:

13 October 2005

Length of book:

176 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9780742549203

Discussions of human biology and its consequences for ethics and public policy are often misguided. Both proponents and critics of behavioral genetics, reproductive cloning, and genetic testing have mistaken beliefs about the role of genes in human life. Taking Biology Seriously calls attention to the social context in which both the science and our ethical precepts and public policies play a role.

Chapter 1 Misunderstanding Biology: Epistemological, Scientific, and Moral Problems
Chapter 2 Biological Explanations and Social Responsibility
Chapter 3 An Introduction to the Science of Cloning
Chapter 4 Cloning—or not—Human Beings
Chapter 5 Putting Human Cloning Where It belongs
Chapter 6 Obtaining Genetic Information
Chapter 7 Genetic Information and Moral Obligation
Chapter 8 Moral Obligations, Genetic Information, and Social Context
Chapter 9 On the Need to Take Biology Seriously
Part 22 Genetic Information and Moral Obligations

In an age of genetic information and promised enhancements, we wonder what biology can tell us – and what it can't — about how we should live. This superbly clear and sensible book, written by a philosopher trained in biology, is a perfect introduction to this important question. Professor DeMelo-Martin takes us briskly through central social controversies concerning intelligence, aggression, gender, cloning, and genetics, on a guided tour of blind alleys, inaccurate assumptions, and logical mistakes. DeMelo-Martin shows exceptional skill in guiding the reader through complex terrain with balance and objectivity. This book holds rewards for scientists, philosophers, students, and citizens. It provides ideal stepping-off points for classroom discussions and public debates.