Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective (The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics, 10)

This revised edition updates Thompson’s trail-blazing study of ethical and philosophical issues raised by biotechnology. The 1997 book was the first by a philosopher to address food and agricultural biotechnology, discussing ethical issues associated with risk assessment, labelling, animal transformation, patents, and impact on traditional farming communities. The new edition addresses the debates of the intervening decade, including cloning, the Precautionary Principle, and the biotechnology debate between the United States and Europe. Agrifood biotechnology – the genetic transformation of plants and animals through recombinant means – has created controversy in the food system for more than twenty years. This thoroughly revised and amended edition of Paul B. Thompson's path breaking study of ethical and philosophical issues raised by this technology up to date. The original 1997 edition was the first book length treatment by a philosopher to focus on food and agricultural biotechnology, covering ethical issues associated with risk assessment, labelling, animal transformation, patents, and the impact of biotechnology on traditional farming communities in both the developed and developing world. The new edition reflects lessons from the hotly contested debates over those issues in the intervening decade, and includes wholly new discussions on ethical issues associated with livestock cloning, the Precautionary Principle, and the transatlantic debate between United States and European perspectives on biotechnology. Thompson's unique and insightful approach to addressing the risks and questions of public acceptability associated with novel technology stands as a model for anyone interested in technological innovation and social change. The book should be of interest to scholars and citizens interested in the Internet or nanotechnology, while it remains an essential resource for understanding the twists and turns of debate over the role of molecular genetics in the transformation of the global food system. 00.jpg......Page 1 Food Biotechnology in Eithical Perspective......Page 2 Table of Contents......Page 7 Acknowledgements......Page 8 0thompsonint.pdf......Page 9 Ethical Perspectives on Agri-Food Biotechnology......Page 29 The Presumptive Case for Food Biotechnology......Page 62 Biotechnology Policy and the Problem of Unintended Consequences......Page 80 Food Safety and the Ethics of Consent......Page 97 Animal Health and Welfare......Page 126 Ethical Issues in Livestock Cloning......Page 151 Ethics and Environmental Impact......Page 168 Social Consequences......Page 198 Conceptions of Property and the Biotechnology Debate......Page 235 Religious and Metaphysical Opposition to Biotechnology......Page 262 Communication, Education and the Problem of Trust......Page 282 0thompsonref.pdf......Page 309 0thomsonindex.pdf......Page 335 Developments in food technology are not just the concern of scientists and manufacturers. Media attention has increased public awareness and demands for more regulations. This text covers the debate on the moral implications of developments in human food