New Report on Synthetic Biology
Posted by Osagie Obasogie June 29, 2009
Biopolitical Times
The new Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars recently released a report entitled Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology, authored by three scholars from the Hastings Center. Synthetic biology is a developing field that allows scientists to, in a sense, create organisms and biological systems that don’t exist in nature from scratch. By focusing on artificially creating the building blocks of life at the molecular level, scientists hope to be able to develop products such as new forms of energy or novel ways to do environmental cleanup.
Synthetic biology raises a host of social and ethical concerns – some small and others that are truly profound. The report notes in the preface:
Ethical concerns are too often addressed after investments in science have been made and technologies are already mature and in the marketplace. At that point, neither the research community nor policymakers have a strong incentive to address ethical issues for fear that any debate may stifle technological advance and innovation. But given the rate at which new technologies are emerging and converging, this paper argues that a comprehensive ethical approach is needed early to best foster the wide public acceptance and support of new technologies such as synthetic biology.
While it may be a bit too early to suggest, as a normative matter, that synthetic biology ought to be widely accepted by the public, this report is right to encourage broader thinking about ethical concerns now as opposed to later.
Synthetic biology raises a host of social and ethical concerns – some small and others that are truly profound. The report notes in the preface:
Ethical concerns are too often addressed after investments in science have been made and technologies are already mature and in the marketplace. At that point, neither the research community nor policymakers have a strong incentive to address ethical issues for fear that any debate may stifle technological advance and innovation. But given the rate at which new technologies are emerging and converging, this paper argues that a comprehensive ethical approach is needed early to best foster the wide public acceptance and support of new technologies such as synthetic biology.
While it may be a bit too early to suggest, as a normative matter, that synthetic biology ought to be widely accepted by the public, this report is right to encourage broader thinking about ethical concerns now as opposed to later.