The Lives to Come: the Genetic Revolution and Human Possibilities - Hardcover

Kitcher, Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684800551 ISBN 13: 9780684800554

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1996

Synopsis

Addressing the moral, social, and political questions raised by the Human Genome Project, a scientific and philosophical study considers such areas as genetic therapy, genetic discrimination, and abortion

About this title

About the Author

Philip Kitcher is Presidential Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at San Diego.

Reviews

Kitcher has written a searching, valuable guide to the immediate practical consequences and long-range implications of the new molecular genetics. The next decade, he predicts, will make possible hundreds, even thousands, of genetic tests to determine whether people carry genes that predispose them to various diseases or disabilities. He argues that the potential benefits of genetic testing must be carefully weighed against whether effective treatment exists. Stressing that gene replacement therapy is only one among many possible interventions, he foresees a patchwork of therapies, including dietary and environmental changes, to bring relief from hereditary disorders. A philosophy professor at UC San Diego, Kitcher believes that basic medical insurance should be available to everyone, yet he controversially suggests that insurers could demand higher premiums of those born with unlucky genes, provided that the difference in cost did not debar people from receiving coverage. He also wrestles thoughtfully with such issues as genetic screening of job applicants, whether the merciful abortion of a malformed fetus is morally justified and the use of DNA evidence in the courtroom.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kitcher's incisive reflections on the moral issues inherent in human genetic research are chiefly addressed to professionals (medical or ethical personnel) but, aided by Kitcher's generalist style, this book ultimately concerns everyone. As the popularity of amniocentesis indicates, people are facing hard moral issues on a daily basis, for if that test discloses a gene connected with disease or deformity, then would-be parents must decide whether abortion is justifiable. Where along the continuum between preventing suffering and full-blown eugenics, Kitcher's thesis asks, does one draw the moral line? First off, Kitcher explains the structure of DNA and the technologies for mapping and replicating its genes. He then discusses how medicine applies current knowledge before devoting the second half of his text to the issue of making moral choices, categorized as privacy rights, social responsibility, and the fate of the unborn. In the latter regard, Kitcher controversially advocates "utopian eugenics," which will please no one in the polarized abortion debate. Some will see in Kitcher's analysis a horrific rulebook for controlling heredity; others a brave set of bulwarks against violations of rights, but no one can risk ignoring the issues he raises. Gilbert Taylor

In the early 1990s, several books appeared discussing the promise and pitfalls of the human genome project, the international plan to map human DNA. Now, a second wave of titles makes it clear that the future has arrived. Two excellent examples are Jeff Lyon and Peter Gorner's Altered Fates (LJ 1/95) and this new book by Kitcher (The Advancement of Science, Oxford, 1993), a philosopher with a background in biology. The subject is genetic ethics. Is it proper to modify a person's genes for less than life-threatening medical reasons? Should people be tested routinely for genetic diseases during physical exams? As a precondition for employment? Or even, most troubling of all, prior to birth? Kitcher investigates these and other complex questions with a reasoned, pragmatic voice, but he does not eschew controversial topics?most notably, the abortion of severely malformed fetuses. He concludes that the nightmares of eugenics and genetic persecution could happen, but only if they are permitted by an unenlightened and uninvolved citizenry. Conversely, if intelligent choices are made, much human suffering could be eliminated. This is not the first, final, or definitive book on genetic ethics; it is, however, one that no future writers on the subject can ignore.?Gregg Sapp, Univ. of Miami Lib.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0684800551
• ISBN 13: 9780684800554
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384