Wicked Solutions to Wicked Problems?: A Christian Ethical Reflection on Synthetic Biology as Nature Conservation

While a distinction should be made between wicked problems as first defined by and and problems that are merely challenging and difficult to solve, in this contribution, I argue that climate change and the resulting destruction of nature could be explained as a wicked problem. One of the proposed so...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kotzé, Manitza ca. 20./21. Jh. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2020]
In: Philosophia reformata
Year: 2020, Volume: 85, Issue: 2, Pages: 181-197
IxTheo Classification:CF Christianity and Science
NCG Environmental ethics; Creation ethics
NCJ Ethics of science
Further subjects:B Nature Conservation
B Synthetic Biology
B Climate Change
B species extinction
B wicked problems
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:While a distinction should be made between wicked problems as first defined by and and problems that are merely challenging and difficult to solve, in this contribution, I argue that climate change and the resulting destruction of nature could be explained as a wicked problem. One of the proposed solutions to climate change, making use of synthetic biology for nature conservation, has the potential to be classified not only as a wicked solution but as a solution that spawns a number of other wicked problems. I will examine the ethical issues raised by synthetic biology as a wicked solution to this super wicked problem from the perspective of Christian ethics, drawing in particular on the resources available in Christian ecotheology and, specifically, notions of interdependence, relationality, responsible stewardship, and global justice.
ISSN:2352-8230
Contains:Enthalten in: Philosophia reformata
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/23528230-8502A005