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

上学年我一直在研究进化论，特别是达尔文主义，假设“进步”的概念是阐明当代民主理论和环境伦理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，它认为拥有倾向于产生健康和有用的性状的基因会使人的生活更健康和更美好。我从2005年下半年开始撰写我的专著，探讨达尔文主义的世界观对生物技术和市场经济引起的当代规范性问题的启示。2007年1月，我终于完成了这本专著，并出版了一本名为《自由优生学与正义》的书。“自由优生学”指的是一种政治立场，它从根本上扩大了个人的生育自由，并声称准父母可以在遗传技术的帮助下，特别是在生殖系遗传工程的帮助下，选择后代的遗传特征。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，因此，对自由优生学的可验证性的质疑可能不仅会引起诸如“人性是什么？”或者“人性是神圣不可侵犯的吗？“但也使我们重新考虑现代的”进步“概念，这种概念促进了对”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“，代替自然选择。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实现“自我进化”，那么他们肯定也能够控制自我进化的过程和程度。人类不受限制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.'