Science, Seeds, and Cyborgs: Biotechnology and the Appropriation of Life - Hardcover

Bowring, Finn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1859846874 ISBN 13: 9781859846872

Publisher: Verso Books, 2003

Synopsis

Molecular biology is the queen of modern science, a leading force in the new knowledge economy, and a competitor to the explanatory power of the arts and humanities. But are genes really the definitive cause of the development and functioning of organisms, of health and illness, life and death, success and failure? Can the genomes of living things be 'engineered' like machines, reprogrammed to behave according to human design? Is modern biotechnology a politically neutral force, capable of liberating the poor as much as empowering the rich? And can all the risks and costs of the genetic revolution be weighed against the undeniable benefits to humankind, or is this reckoning already a victory for the machines we imagine ourselves to be over the sentient and conscious beings that we are? Science Seeds and Cyborgs is a detailed examination and critique of the DNA-centric paradigm in molecular biology, and of the biotech industry it has spawned. It argues that the genetic manipulation of organisms is proceeding along a perilous path, where even the successes of the new genetic technologies produce corrosive cultural effects, making it progressively easier to think of organisms - including the human one - as disposable artefacts. Exploring the wide reach of modern biotechnology, from the genetic modification of plants and animals to medical genetics, assisted reproduction and human cloning, it suggests that we are losing sight of the human being in favour of adapting that being to an inhuman world.

About this title

Product Description:

Science, Seeds and Cyborgs Drawing on a wealth of evidence, this title challenges the legitimacy of genetic engineering. Examining recent developments in agriculture, medical science and new reproductive technologies, this book highlights scientific flaws and shows the high degree of uncertainty involved in playing God. Full description

Review:

"An important and timely intervention into current debates on biotechnology. Written in a clear and accessible style it deserves to be read widely by all those interested in the ecological, social, and ethical implications of biotechnology."--John O'Neill

"Read this book and you will never casually scan another news article about the wonders of the new genetics again. Bowring will make you think long and hard about what it is we are doing, and what it is we think we are doing as we strive to map, control and remake ourselves and our world."--Barbara Katz Rothman

About this edition

• Publisher: Verso Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1859846874
• ISBN 13: 9781859846872
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 344