Concepts of Nature, Biotechnology, and the Human Genome

这项拟议的研究试图分析哲学、神学和公共政策文献中的论点，这些论点认为基因组的完整性、偶然性或历史真实性是人类作为自然或自然的一部分的基础。根据这一观点，只要人类故意改变或控制人类基因组，他们就会与自己的进化史和自然界疏远。实际上，这个想法是，只要自然--以未被操纵的基因组的形式--仍然是人类的一部分，人类就仍然是自然的一部分。这项拟议的研究将审查“基因例外论”的形式，它援引了“自然”的概念，以及关于人类基因组操纵的“自然”判断，通常是批判性的。然后，研究人员将根据自然和基因组之间的关系来评估支持限制基因工程的论点。具体地说，研究小组将1)分析对人类基因组工具性操纵的批评和担忧在多大程度上依赖于关于自然、人性以及人类与自然之间的联系的有争议的假设；并将评估这些假设的有效性。该项目将撰写一系列论文，与其他文章、会议报告和与政策相关的论文一起被收集到一本书中，所有这些文章都将评估那些以自然概念为理由来规范、限制或禁止各种基因工程应用的提案。

The proposed research seeks to analyze arguments in the literature of philosophy, theology and public policy that take the genome in its integrity, contingency, or historical authenticity to be what ground humanity as natural or as part of nature. According to this view, insofar as human beings deliberately alter or control the human genome, they alienate themselves from their evolutionary history and from the natural world. The idea is, in effect, that humanity remains a part of nature as long as nature -- in the form of non-manipulated genome - - remains part of humanity. The proposed study will examine the form of "genetic exceptionalism" that invokes the concept of "nature" and the "natural" judgments, usually critical, concerning the manipulation of the human genome. The researchers would then evaluate arguments that -- on the basis of the relation between nature and the genome - - support restriction on genetic engineering. Specifically, the research team will 1) analyze the extent to which criticisms and concerns about the instrumental manipulation of the human genome rest on controversial assumptions about nature, human nature, and the connection between humanity and nature; and it will assess the validity of those assumptions. The project, will 2) produce a series of essays to be collected into a book, along with other articles, conference presentations, and policy-related papers, all of which will evaluate proposals that appeal to conceptions of nature as reasons to regulate or limit or ban various applications of genetic engineering.