EDST 391 Ethics & the Human Genome

Name:
Date:
"Calendar"

Assignment for Day 27

Debating the Genomic Future of Humankind

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Readings: Hot off the press!

• “The Human Dignity Conspiracy,” by Peter Augustine Lawyer. The author is one of the clearest, most insightful and even-handed writers in bioethics.

• This article reviews the historical and contemporary debate over the meaning of “human dignity,” and whether it’s even a useful concept. The article was prompted by an angry public attack on the concept by Stephen Pinker, a famous Harvard scientist, who argues that the notion is not just useless, but an instrument of tyranny. You will recognize Pinker’s main target—Leon Kass. Lawler takes Pinker’s attack as an opportunity to look at the very different conceptions of human dignity proposed over the ages.
• This article could be useful in writing your papers. Why? Because, in discussing the meaning of human dignity, Lawler describes some of the most fundamental ethical principles on which the world’s most influential philosophers have agree and disagreed. The discussion touches on many of the ethical questions we’ve debated.
• This article could help you identify and thoughtfully defend your own ethical “North Star.”

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Writing assignment:

· What proposed law do you plan to “debate” in Paper 3?

· What are the main elements of your pro and con arguments?

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