The Prospects of Environmental Ethics in Contemporary Liberal Democracy: Environmental Crisis and Progress in the 21st Century

上一学年，我一直在研究进化论，特别是达尔文主义，我认为“进步”的概念是阐明当代民主理论和环境伦理学之间紧张关系的关键。达尔文主义也是现代优生学的理论基础，它认为拥有导致健康和有用性格的基因会使一个人的生活更健康和更好。我从2005年下半年开始撰写我的专著，调查达尔文的世界观在生物技术和市场经济导致的当代规范性问题上意味着什么。2007年1月，我终于完成了这本专著，出版了一本名为《自由优生学与正义》的书。“自由优生学”指的是从根本上扩大个人生育自由的政治立场，并主张未来的父母可以借助基因技术，特别是生殖系基因工程，甚至选择后代的基因特征。由于自由优生学的实践可能包括对人性本身的控制和操纵，询问自由优生学的正当性可能不仅会引发这样的问题：“人性是什么？”或者“人性是神圣不可侵犯的吗？”，但也让我们重新思考现代的“进步”概念，它提倡对“自然”的无限控制，无论是在内部还是外部。现代优生学的传统断言，人类可以控制自己的“进化”，而不是自然选择。如果自由优生学声称，未来的人类可以通过使用生殖系基因工程来完成自我进化，他们肯定也能够控制自己的自我进化的过程和程度。人类肆无忌惮的自我改造不可能是他们的“命运”。

I have been examining theories of evolution and particularly Darwinism last academic year, assuming that the concept of 'progress' is the key to elucidate the strained relationship between contemporary democratic theories and environmental ethics. Darwinism was also the theoretical foundation of modern eugenics, which considered that having genes that tend to lead to healthy and useful characters makes one's life healthier and better.I have been working on my monograph from the latter half of 2005, which investigates what Darwinian world view implies on the contemporary normative questions caused by biotechnology and market economy. In January 2007, I finally completed this monograph and published a book entitled Liberal Eugenics and Justice. 'Liberal eugenics' means the political stance which radically extends the individual 'liberty to reproduce and asserts that prospective parents are allowed to select even genetic characteristics of their offspring with a help of genetic technology, particularly germline genetic engineering. Since the practice of liberal eugenics could include the control and manipulation of human nature itself, asking the justifiability of liberal eugenics may not only give rise to such questions as 'What is human nature?' or 'Is human nature sacred and inviolable?,' but also make us reconsider the modern concept of 'progress' which promotes the unlimited control of 'nature,' whether within or without.The tradition of modern eugenics has asserted that human beings can control their own 'evolution' in place of natural selection. If liberal eugenics claims that the future human race can accomplish its 'self-evolution' through the use of germline genetic engineering, they will certainly be able to control the course and extent of their self-evolution as well. The unrestrained self-remaking of the human beings cannot be their 'destiny.'