The Code of Codes: Scientific and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0674136462 ISBN 13: 9780674136465

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1993

Synopsis

Now and then" writes Lionel Triling "it is possible to observe the moral life in process of revising itself" In this new book he is concerned with such a mutation: the process by which the arduous enterprise of sincerity, of being true to one's self, came to occupy a place of supreme importance in the moral life-and the further shift which finds that place now usurped by the darker and still more strenuous modern ideal of authenticity. Instances range over the whole of Western literature and thought, from Shakespeare to Hegel to Sartre, from Robespierre to R.D. Laing, suggesting the contradictions and ironies to which the ideals of sincerity and authenticity give rise, most especially in contemporary life. Lucid, and brilliantly framed, its view of cultural history will give Sincerity and Authenticity an important place among the works of this distinguished critic.

About this title

Product Description

"The Code of Codes" is a collective exploration of the substance and possible consequences of the human genome project in relation to ethics, law, and society, as well as to science, technology and medicine. It comprises incisive essays by contributors in a variety of fields, including James D. Watson and Walter Gilbert and the social analysts of science, Dorothy Nelkin and Evelyn Fox Keller.

Review

This book provides much valuable information on a program that has become international rather than provincial, but whose perceived urgency may exceed its justification.--Bernard D. Davis "Science "

So far, the research (on human genetics) is on track, according to Kevles and Hood, who edited [this] impressive collection of thirteen critical essays by leading biologists, computer scientists and social scientists commenting on both the Genome Project itself and the important ethical implications of the new discoveries in human genetics.--John Wilkes "Los Angeles Times "

The Code of Codes...gives a very balanced cross-section of views on both the scientific aspects of the project and many of the social issues surrounding it...In studying the human genome, much will be discovered about the evolution of life and living systems and if, as the book tries to show, there are fears, there is also hope that this knowledge will benefit humanity. What more can one want?--Sydney Brenner "Nature "

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0674136462
• ISBN 13: 9780674136465
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 408
• Editor: Kevles