| Summary: | Should we make people healthier, smarter, and longer-lived if genetic and medical advances enable us to do so? The author asks this question in the context of genetic testing and selection, cloning and stem cell research, gene therapies and enhancements. The ethical questions explored include parental responsibility, the use of people as means, the role of hope and fear in risk assessment, and the dignity and meaning of life. Taking as a starting point the arguments presented by Jonathan Glover, John Harris, Ronald M. Green, Jürgen Habermas, Michael J. Sandel, and Leon R. Kass, who defend a particular normative view as the only rational or moral answer, the author argues that many coherent rationalities and moralities exist in the field, and that to claim otherwise is mistaken. Features include: The book introduces only one main ethical consideration with the introduction of a new scientific or medical practice, allowing the reader to gain a thorough picture of the practice and of the nuances of the ethical argument; Each chapter begins with a one-sentence summary of its contents, giving the reader an orientation to the text ahead; Summaries bring all the ethical considerations together, helping the reader see what has been claimed in the book and how these claims have been supported; Separate introductions for genetic practices and philosophical considerations help the reader keep the different dimensions analytically separated. -- Provided by publisher.
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