New dimensions in bioethics : science, ethics, and the formulation of public policy

In the last three decades, bioethics has matured into a field of study with several areas of concentration, including medical ethics, environmental ethics and more recently, genetic ethics. For reasons related to both the developmental history of the subject and to the poignancy of the problems presented, most textbooks and collections of essays have dealt with only a single area, medical ethics. In fact, to many not in the field, the word bioethics has become synonymous with medical ethics. The aim of this collection of essays, entitled __New____Dimensions in Bioethics: Science, Ethics and the Formation of Public____Policy__, is to enlarge this restrictive vision of the field as it is usually studied at universities. By combining essays relevant to medical ethics with companion essays on environmental ethics and genetic ethics, the book emphasizes similarities in the methods of analysis used in diverse bioethical problems, whether dealing with genes, with people or the environment. In this way, __New Dimensions in____Bioethics: Science, Ethics and the Formation of Public Policy__, hopes to contribute to the intellectual unity of the subject and to suggest changes in the way bioethics can be taught and studied at both the graduate and undergraduate level. In the last three decades, bioethics has matured into a field of study with several areas of concentration, including medical ethics, environmental ethics and more recently, genetic ethics. For reasons related to both the developmental history of the subject and to the poignancy of the problems presented, most textbooks and collections of essays have dealt with only a single area, medical ethics. In fact, to many not in the field, the word bioethics has become synonymous with medical ethics. The aim of this collection of essays, entitled New Dimensions in Bioethics: Science, Ethics and the Formation of Public Policy , is to enlarge this restrictive vision of the field as it is usually studied at universities. By combining essays relevant to medical ethics with companion essays on environmental ethics and genetic ethics, the book emphasizes similarities in the methods of analysis used in diverse bioethical problems, whether dealing with genes, with people or the environment. In this way, New Dimensions in Bioethics: Science, Ethics and the Formation of Public Policy , hopes to contribute to the intellectual unity of the subject and to suggest changes in the way bioethics can be taught and studied at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Front Matter....Pages i-xx The Social Function of the Scientist: The Ethics of Truth-Telling....Pages 1-9 Race, Genes and Human Origins: How Genetically Diverse Are We?....Pages 11-24 Can Agricultural Biotechnology Solve World Hunger Problems? The Role of Regulations and Oligopolies....Pages 25-49 Genetic Predisposition and the Politics of Prediction....Pages 51-64 Scale, Awareness and Conscience: The Moral Terrain of Ecological Vulnerability....Pages 65-78 Pesticide Use: Ethical, Environmental, and Public Health Implications....Pages 79-108 Falling Leaves and Ethical Dilemmas: Agent Orange in Vietnam....Pages 109-124 Animal Matters....Pages 125-136 Environmental Values in Peace and War....Pages 137-153 Roe V. Wade as a Counter revolutionary Manifesto: A Retrospective View....Pages 155-168 Home Sweet Hospital: The Nature and Limits of Family Responsibilities for Home Health Care....Pages 169-191 Ethics and Public Policy in A Democracy: The Case of Human Embryo Research....Pages 193-207 Human Sacrifice and Human Experimentation: Reflections at Nuremberg....Pages 209-224 Back Matter....Pages 225-225