Genethics : moral issues in the creation of people /

Heyd's book gives a new and fruitful lens through which to view theoretical and applied ethical issues, and it is a must for all interested in these questions. Defining "genethics" as concerned with the morality of creating people, e.g., decisions about their existence, number, and identity, Heyd questions the limits of ethics and the redefinition of its borderlines. Providing a new defintion of the actual/potential distinction, he argues that only actual people have moral standing and thus that life has value only for some living subject. This leads to a rigorous analysis of population ethics. Viewing the issues of personal identity as a genesis problem, Heyd develops a concentric-process view of personal identity that allows a unique exploration of genetic engineering and education and the relationship between the right to procreate and the right to educate. Heyd also addresses issues of ecology and of the grounding of any value. His view is that the meaning and value of life can gain support only from within. Heyd argues for the superiority of a person-affecting view of axiology in an extensive and rigorous dialogue with a wide range of views of all the issues. This dialogue and an extensive bibliography add to the value of the book. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections. J. A. Kegley; California State University, Bakersfield