Persons and Humans: Refashioning Ourselves in a Better Image and Likeness

Abstract. This article argues that there are neither moral considerations that in principle forbid the development or use of recom-binant DNA technology, nor grounds to hold that its application is likely to cause more harm than good. A defensible moral position would enjoin a prudent assessment of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Engelhardt, H. Tristram (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 1984
In: Zygon
Year: 1984, Volume: 19, Issue: 3, Pages: 281-295
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Summary:Abstract. This article argues that there are neither moral considerations that in principle forbid the development or use of recom-binant DNA technology, nor grounds to hold that its application is likely to cause more harm than good. A defensible moral position would enjoin a prudent assessment of consequences, rather than an absolute prohibition. The technology may remain controversial because it presupposes the difference between being a person, an entity who can evaluate and manipulate its own biological structure, and human-ness as a biological structure likely to be the subject of engineering over the long-range future.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contains:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1984.tb00931.x