Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Ebook600 pages18 hours
Re-Creating Nature: Science, Technology, and Human Values in the Twenty-First Century
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
An exploration of the moral and ethical implications of new biotechnologies
Many of the ethical issues raised by new technologies have not been widely examined, discussed, or indeed settled. For example, robotics technology challenges the notion of personhood. Should a robot, capable of making what humans would call ethical decisions, be held responsible for those decisions and the resultant actions? Should society reward and punish robots in the same way that it does humans? Likewise, issues of safety, environmental concerns, and distributive justice arise with the increasing acceptance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production nanotechnology in engineering and medicine, and human gene therapy and enhancement. The problem of dual-use—when a technology can be used both to benefit and to harm—exists with virtually all new technologies but is central in the context of emerging 21st century technologies ranging from artificial intelligence and robotics to human gene-editing and brain-computer interfacing.
In Re-Creating Nature: Science, Technology, and Human Values in the Twenty-First Century, James T. Bradley addresses emerging biotechnologies with prodigious potential to benefit humankind but that are also fraught with ethical consequences. Some actually possess the power to directly alter the evolution of life on earth including human. Specifically, these topics include stem cells, synthetic biology, GMOs in agriculture, nanotechnology, bioterrorism, CRISPR gene-editing technology, three-parent babies, robotics and roboethics, artificial intelligence, and human brain research and neurotechnologies.
Offering clear explanations of these various technologies, a pragmatic presentation of the conundrums involved, and questions that illuminate hypothetical situations, Bradley guides discussions of these and other thorny issues resulting from the development of new biotechnologies. He also highlights the responsibilities of scientists to conduct research in an ethical manner and the responsibilities of nonscientists to become “science literate” in the twenty-first century.
Many of the ethical issues raised by new technologies have not been widely examined, discussed, or indeed settled. For example, robotics technology challenges the notion of personhood. Should a robot, capable of making what humans would call ethical decisions, be held responsible for those decisions and the resultant actions? Should society reward and punish robots in the same way that it does humans? Likewise, issues of safety, environmental concerns, and distributive justice arise with the increasing acceptance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production nanotechnology in engineering and medicine, and human gene therapy and enhancement. The problem of dual-use—when a technology can be used both to benefit and to harm—exists with virtually all new technologies but is central in the context of emerging 21st century technologies ranging from artificial intelligence and robotics to human gene-editing and brain-computer interfacing.
In Re-Creating Nature: Science, Technology, and Human Values in the Twenty-First Century, James T. Bradley addresses emerging biotechnologies with prodigious potential to benefit humankind but that are also fraught with ethical consequences. Some actually possess the power to directly alter the evolution of life on earth including human. Specifically, these topics include stem cells, synthetic biology, GMOs in agriculture, nanotechnology, bioterrorism, CRISPR gene-editing technology, three-parent babies, robotics and roboethics, artificial intelligence, and human brain research and neurotechnologies.
Offering clear explanations of these various technologies, a pragmatic presentation of the conundrums involved, and questions that illuminate hypothetical situations, Bradley guides discussions of these and other thorny issues resulting from the development of new biotechnologies. He also highlights the responsibilities of scientists to conduct research in an ethical manner and the responsibilities of nonscientists to become “science literate” in the twenty-first century.
Related to Re-Creating Nature
Related ebooks
Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing Synthetic: How Life Got Made Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNano Comes to Life: How Nanotechnology Is Transforming Medicine and the Future of Biology Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Synthetic Biology: Tools and Applications Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom the Beginning of Space and Time: Modern Science and the Mystic Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Heroic and Exceptional Minority: A Guide to Mythological Self-Awareness and Growth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFuture Superhuman: Our transhuman lives in a make-or-break century Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cell Surface Receptors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBrutes or Angels: Human Possibility in the Age of Biotechnology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSustainable Agriculture: Advances in Plant Metabolome and Microbiome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBiomolecular Electronics: Bioelectronics and the Electrical Control of Biological Systems and Reactions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World in Conflict: Understanding the World's Troublespots Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Mutant Project: Inside the Global Race to Genetically Modify Humans Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGenomic Control Process: Development and Evolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Full Spectrum Dominance: Irregular Warfare and the War on Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGenetics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGenomes and What to Make of Them Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSustainable Development for Mass Urbanization Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSynthetic biology Third Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe End of the Beginning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmortal: Our Cells, DNA, and Bodies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCloning: A Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife Histories of Genetic Disease: Patterns and Prevention in Postwar Medical Genetics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNeuromorphic Hardware Complete Self-Assessment Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrigin of Species Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saved by Science: The Hope and Promise of Synthetic Biology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMolecular Genetic Medicine: Volume 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGenes, Cells and Brains: The Promethean Promises of the New Biology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Synthetic Life: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Single-Cell Organisms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Science & Mathematics For You
Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memory Craft: Improve Your Memory with the Most Powerful Methods in History Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills For Solving Problems, Managing Chaos, Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No-Drama Discipline: the bestselling parenting guide to nurturing your child's developing mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work - and Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Joy of Gay Sex: Fully revised and expanded third edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Think Critically: Question, Analyze, Reflect, Debate. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Metaphors We Live By Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Autism Survival Handbook: (For People Without Autism) Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential--and Endangered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Free Will Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies My Gov't Told Me: And the Better Future Coming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trouble With Testosterone: And Other Essays On The Biology Of The Human Predi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Psychology of Totalitarianism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Crack In Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
#88 Dr. WALID SABA - Why machines will never rule the world [UNPLUGGED] 0% found this document usefulBrian Clegg, "Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe" (MIT Press, 2021): An interview with Brian Clegg 0% found this document usefulPhilip Pettit, "The State" (Princeton UP, 2023): An interview with Philip Pettit 0% found this document usefulClimate techno-fix would worsen global malaria burden: Climate techno-fix would worsen global malaria burden 0% found this document usefulS2:E34 - (Full Version) WE CAN NOW BRING BACK EXTINCT SPECIES, BUT SHOULD WE? 0% found this document usefulArtificial Intelligence Out of Control: The Apocalypse is Here | How AI and ChatGPT End Humanity 0% found this document usefulHow plankton made mountains: The world’s largest cruise ship has set sail – but what stowaways are hiding onboard? 0% found this document usefulCan we Bring Extinct Species Back?: A Conversation with Beth Shapiro: An interview with Beth Shapiro 0% found this document usefulThe three revolutions in astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life 0% found this document usefulCRISPR babies scandal – more details: Science news and highlights of the week 0% found this document usefulKurt Vonnegut’s contribution to science, and tunas and sharks as ecosystem indicators 0% found this document usefulInside Wuhan's coronavirus lab: The inside story of Wuhan’s coronavirus lab, 0% found this document useful
Related articles
It’s the End of the Gene As We Know It NautilusArticle
It’s the End of the Gene As We Know It
Jan 3, 2019
We’ve all seen the stark headlines: “Being Rich and Successful Is in Your DNA” (Guardian, July 12); “A New Genetic Test Could Help Determine Children’s Success” (Newsweek, July 10); “Our Fortunetelling Genes” make us (Wall Street Journal, Nov. 16); a
10 min readBillions Pour Into Bioplastics As Markets Begin Ramping Up TechLife NewsArticle
Billions Pour Into Bioplastics As Markets Begin Ramping Up
Aug 13, 2022
4 min readThe Immortality Hype: Despite the hyperbole, private funding is changing the science of aging for the better. NautilusArticle
The Immortality Hype: Despite the hyperbole, private funding is changing the science of aging for the better.
May 26, 2016
It’d be easy to miss the unobtrusive brown door to Joon Yun’s second floor office, tucked away next to a dry cleaners and a hair salon in downtown Palo Alto, California. But the address itself speaks loud enough. Four-hundred-seventy University Avenu
17 min readThe Computer Maverick Who Modeled the Evolution of Life NautilusArticle
The Computer Maverick Who Modeled the Evolution of Life
Jul 11, 2019
In 1953, at the dawn of modern computing, Nils Aall Barricelli played God. Clutching a deck of playing cards in one hand and a stack of punched cards in the other, Barricelli hovered over one of the world’s earliest and most influential computers, th
10 min readCan Organoids Take Us into a New Era of Medicine? NautilusArticle
Can Organoids Take Us into a New Era of Medicine?
Nov 15, 2022
7 min readWhat Defines a Stem Cell? NautilusArticle
What Defines a Stem Cell?
Dec 27, 2018
For the past three years, researchers at the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands have been painstakingly cataloging and mapping all the proliferating cells found in mouse hearts, looking for cardiac stem cells. The elusive cells should theoreticall
5 min readAdoption of Cognitive Computing Across Various Industries TechfastlyArticle
Adoption of Cognitive Computing Across Various Industries
Dec 1, 2021
5 min readXi Jinping's Trillion-yuan Baby, Bigger Than Older Growth Markets In Asia, Is Poised For The Next Spurt Of Growth. Here's Why Post MagazineArticle
Xi Jinping's Trillion-yuan Baby, Bigger Than Older Growth Markets In Asia, Is Poised For The Next Spurt Of Growth. Here's Why
Jul 25, 2020
7 min readThinking Like a Scientist Will Make You Happier NautilusArticle
Thinking Like a Scientist Will Make You Happier
Jun 15, 2022
11 min readThe Big Thinker NautilusArticle
The Big Thinker
Sep 8, 2022
18 min readCOVID-19’s Effects on Kids Are Even Stranger Than We Thought The AtlanticArticle
COVID-19’s Effects on Kids Are Even Stranger Than We Thought
Jul 15, 2021
5 min readWhy the Rent Inflation Is So Damn High The AtlanticArticle
Why the Rent Inflation Is So Damn High
Aug 18, 2022
4 min readCanada Case Highlights Possible Long-term Risks Of Experimental Stem Cell Therapy STATArticle
Canada Case Highlights Possible Long-term Risks Of Experimental Stem Cell Therapy
Jul 11, 2019
The worst-case scenario for stem cell therapy isn't that it doesn't work, but that it causes problems like the growth of a tumor down the road.
5 min read‘Humans Weren’t Always Here. We Could Disappear’: Meet The Collapsologists The GuardianArticle
‘Humans Weren’t Always Here. We Could Disappear’: Meet The Collapsologists
Oct 11, 2020
8 min readMathematicians Discover Novel Way to Predict Structure in Graphs QuantaArticle
Mathematicians Discover Novel Way to Predict Structure in Graphs
Jun 22, 2023
1 min readWhy We Should Eat Crickets. And Other Bug Ideas NautilusArticle
Why We Should Eat Crickets. And Other Bug Ideas
Oct 2, 2020
4 min readThe Selfish Dataome NautilusArticle
The Selfish Dataome
Oct 25, 2018
You’ve heard the argument before: Genes are the permanent aristocracy of evolution, looking after themselves as fleshy hosts come and go. That’s the thesis of a book that, last year, was christened the most influential science book of all time: Richa
6 min readHow Can We Help Humans Thrive Trillions Of Years From Now? This Philosopher Has A Plan NPRArticle
How Can We Help Humans Thrive Trillions Of Years From Now? This Philosopher Has A Plan
Aug 16, 2022
6 min readThe Corals And The Capitalist The American ScholarArticle
The Corals And The Capitalist
Dec 1, 2022
15 min readWhere Uniqueness Lies: The ultimate treasure hunt for the key in our brains that unlocks our difference. NautilusArticle
Where Uniqueness Lies: The ultimate treasure hunt for the key in our brains that unlocks our difference.
Apr 29, 2013
If you dropped a dozen human toddlers on a beautiful Polynesian island with shelter and enough to eat, but no computers, no cell phones, and no metal tools, would they grow up to be like humans we recognize or like other primates? Would they invent l
5 min readWe Are About to Start Mining Hydrothermal Vents on the Ocean Floor NautilusArticle
We Are About to Start Mining Hydrothermal Vents on the Ocean Floor
Sep 12, 2015
5 min readMini But Mighty: How Microbes Make The World The Christian Science MonitorArticle
Mini But Mighty: How Microbes Make The World
Nov 15, 2019
A pair of studies published this week expand our understanding of the ocean’s tiniest organisms, underscoring the vital role of the mighty microbe.
6 min readTwo Lifeforms Merge Into One Organism For First Time In A Billion Years The IndependentArticle
Two Lifeforms Merge Into One Organism For First Time In A Billion Years
Apr 22, 2024
1 min readPhilosophy Is a Public Service NautilusArticle
Philosophy Is a Public Service
Jan 2, 2020
Several years ago, I climbed Mt. Washington in Nevada to see the oldest complex life forms on Earth. Typically found at elevations higher than 3,000 meters, bristlecone pine trees can live for as long as five millennia. They do so by growing very slo
9 min readTwo Lifeforms Merge Into One Organism For First Time In A Billion Years The IndependentArticle
Two Lifeforms Merge Into One Organism For First Time In A Billion Years
Apr 29, 2024
1 min readIs Colonizing Mars the Most Important Project in Human History? The AtlanticArticle
Is Colonizing Mars the Most Important Project in Human History?
Jun 29, 2018
2 min readThe Unique Merger That Made You (and Ewe, and Yew): All sophisticated life on the planet Earth may owe its existence to one freakish event. NautilusArticle
The Unique Merger That Made You (and Ewe, and Yew): All sophisticated life on the planet Earth may owe its existence to one freakish event.
Sep 4, 2014
At first glance, a tree could not be more different from the caterpillars that eat its leaves, the mushrooms sprouting from its bark, the grass growing by its trunk, or the humans canoodling under its shade. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Zo
14 min readThe Unique Merger That Made You (and Ewe, and Yew): All sophisticated life on the planet Earth may owe its existence to one freakish event. NautilusArticle
The Unique Merger That Made You (and Ewe, and Yew): All sophisticated life on the planet Earth may owe its existence to one freakish event.
Feb 6, 2014
At first glance, a tree could not be more different from the caterpillars that eat its leaves, the mushrooms sprouting from its bark, the grass growing by its trunk, or the humans canoodling under its shade. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Zo
14 min readEarth Is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction The AtlanticArticle
Earth Is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction
Jun 13, 2017
8 min readThe Secret, Stressful Stories of Fossils: A new field called paleoepigenetics is probing how evolution responds to sudden stress. NautilusArticle
The Secret, Stressful Stories of Fossils: A new field called paleoepigenetics is probing how evolution responds to sudden stress.
Dec 3, 2015
Every year the paleontologist Alan Cooper meets up with a band of miners in the Yukon. As the miners go about their work, spraying massive jets of water at frozen mud and silt to excavate gold, they also expose animal remains from the Pleistocene, b
8 min read
Reviews for Re-Creating Nature
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Re-Creating Nature - James T. Bradley
E3^ book_preview_excerpt.html }r Iad nIR$H&`uJIK ,-"< HCi20Z2_R_2- U Oվ}ٟ\ލu.>q}7,^_>_.?B~?wM˦.e)/͏nU/o!EqpӸ/r? YM/їˀطʹumqIƖߎUcQϓ0W~(z(2J.)CŻl&bYnt6)Bx~{}|_U2zU/ I ~v8}#e,^(>}pTFʇAYwU]-[pf wËoiʲ=mt]]_lle[VS^3IrkN9+:z]Ui&07_G~{^^Mֆuu}xgŅo!0xo )jwa7
n7N( s/m]xV ɱC?:
H^U$Qvm=lWXV }2?LwLɩ,rf amG;SfbOoOݲ㝏=3uS2' 7r2p*05Ev;kq"B[WLPGispekb%}1/Q'`c3zkDצ*鶓}¾ "výg-s=t۲.>-"mqtIT6?r
/d5@ WH Q eˇAAjti
o Ʊ۞Lk(>y'6:b_1mI'[/G"ljmgY VGWEo]uKP oբO"KW<,v
-
!')X6ݰȚ/!'XǑ#[bZGO0VL[>[&㦄SXyByj2j 99J`ݖNħH=[psq1E0ǎe_rLO@U"6o&lc"Ywo1z=Hrv
Ö"d]|
ȇk1NTѲAA2] Hr3ގ ,ݎbt%Qt1:ncI~E5_ n'v]5k 9 PK!
y͵fD /ƣ;("
׃tZ <96x$Um ]JZ\EN]w 0
D
}\a-5*ɠU+iv"! U,a@@ ;N͉>E wω4G$ҋy!S͊Өw0% !X[zouzRar(I8R
puam36UB 4PΥk=\,KD+h*1GH:[hn[W:cg!?Ѻ
j©zE٠
.Weӗ
/FvB%~r؉1! U1
t7Cۚ;5dNQj}\ Dp0[.
]>g6# 6u?o |@^O[&+c*a^$2I$CN4ֿLXEoQ|E*k':ݴƗe#Ee+{V} F0?J EĥQ$BMXя|$$dBN0Ƴ-BbA)|- %[lg2p^@T*2qݢFTm>ND|.p(rBeA } u)2a'Kjzxcm،|=%es, Fy%T<@cV6A
оl bK |,{8yR]d'd,S:pK_}# }xcj.c6bG&5k'$4
A$Q 8oZU-UQM-'(XqcĻ`LNLqczfv_rR4B
͝?g v~8 DUȴ1|Z 'Σ%B8V؍)XY܆LNBX y3" _G/Bfr.
/'VE(DZ y!Ď cz TY+Ly*Ojo:(A99GG
Q aC`M70PcIU훊N8:Q>H[/
DyƐ9CyգGti +8 B^Ļ ILl`"ȐQWcɈ F@| !Z$ĥxAPRIQ%ߩjԔI u+.L` ȫQKH?.}諯jU ԫʂ 3BI{1HfY+ c# wvGJ/Βf-L#*<{h/{DT1*EMyzznn6 ,N[XA6 K 2N,=pV@KIv;U+z'H֩*sFz ɣBnXzK< :4,sy /TfT[˛[͋hL/CS}D ek &^|樄P9N~GS9&_)ZDV\HU.d⒩P c'x/- |pk)Y(z5 7'8gfc*bĎQkÙꚝ"A-Ɖv
)2@M8a$bn\CPQ[D#nZޅtdi"g jd!݅
avxlyS. k
@3_Fs"Dd Gne#5f#饷MTXVd;:NV(zHѝ$g=i'bj YeSBAa{lFdᮕ9 !HKav=rNiUzFT䧭민> 5
uQ a`L 1dݹf&H%p
ff|F.5hcR~T s>FtKMCK|H"@ԅ
y+, t $RF,.*N U<cQpDCsF$2;JJBC R9w Q =Ve
5LM$Eevq+Gne9zB@)U)4S p;QȢ[i"l^v[mf5J]Zg#q;Uf/EA T ̻'2y\1}Ӣ8P_F]#.4@JT`~۵a+DvnS7a}%LB'܍38G j8ҝe [IouMw9\[׆ڨkP
U.^dzwïžk~n)$WGmbbbv )n 84d:dfv-|V\&):b#IqUP$:N $ f;ei=ilV8guŲq|\L7D
C!_Xp;ZE/lP9| ֢`,̱F<LVu,
cl f%mJ49T_MBkaqc3
![[ p \beTEXnoÿh? b]B b$H{p1d uѿCA6j-].'!:lCKb+
gNrS̬fזeJcj]lvnƕ2V&/ă$lKG\䳭K81A?D *fy&
s 5U}*jAFGYjȿDpgÑ(gBf%}( G\dlvC AV FV{f7(ǗzYcj>\Ά
~>pcŋwL8C* R!gJzrHL$fAʯNq{Y`aFSB 5\g.R
ExӲ'R .dИ =!d
l EYLclRw Կ:uyA/I6~ۃQ$
YqA.f-{E
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1