Biotechnology, Ethics, and Society: The Case of Genetic Manipulation

Abstract

Biotechnologies are transforming human existence and their potential ever increasing. The discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953 paved the way for genetic medicine and even the possibility to alter the genetic makeup of human beings. Since then, the capacity of the human being to learn about and intervene in his own biological makeup has not ceased to grow. This chapter attempts to offer an overview of biotechnologies applied to human life, tracing its development since the 1950s to the present day and its close link to society. Accordingly, it is divided into two parts. The first one is concerned with the way in which human biotechnology interacts with society, taking as a starting point some recent events related with biotechnology applied to human life. The second part analyses what could well be the most serious question that biotechnology pose for human beings: the possibility to completely recreate oneself by these means. My aim is not to deal with all the ethical issues involved, but to simply express some doubts about the solidity of the arguments posed by those who favour the “enhancement” of human beings by means of germline intervention.