Concepts of Nature, Biotechnology, and the Human Genome

拟议的研究旨在分析哲学、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，他们就会疏远自己的进化史和自然世界。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。拟议的研究将检验“遗传例外论”的形式，这种“遗传例外论”援引“自然”概念和“自然”判断，通常是批判性的，涉及人类基因组的操纵。然后，研究人员将根据自然与基因组之间的关系，评估支持限制基因工程的论点。具体而言，研究团队将1)分析对人类基因组工具操纵的批评和担忧在多大程度上取决于对自然、人性以及人与自然之间联系的有争议的假设；它将评估这些假设的有效性。该项目将产生一系列论文，与其他文章、会议报告和政策相关论文一起收集成一本书，所有这些都将评估那些呼吁将自然概念作为规范、限制或禁止各种基因工程应用的理由的建议。

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.