The Body Politic
The Battle Over Science in America
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and Scientific American Book Club selection
“Moreno pulls apart the debates on eugenics, abortion, end-of-life decisions, embryonic stem-cell research, reproductive cloning, chimeras and synthetic biology, among others, carefully reassembling what’s at stake for each side. In graceful, sparkling prose, he illuminates intricate threads of history and complex philosophical arguments. . . . Highly recommended for anyone interested in the[se] vital issues.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
We have entered what is called the “biological century” and a new biopolitics has emerged to address the implications for America’s collective value system, our well-being, and ultimately, our future. The Body Politic is the first book to recognize and assess this new force in our political landscape—one that fuels today’s culture wars and has motivated politicians of all stripes to reexamine their platforms. As Moreno explains the most contentious issues, he also offers an engaging history of the intersection between science and democracy in American life, a reasoned (and often surprising) analysis of how different political ideologies view scientific controversies, and a vision for how the new biopolitics can help shape the quality of our lives.
Jonathan D. Moreno is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the editor-in-chief for the Center for American Progress’ online magazine, Science Progress. He divides his time between Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bioethicist Moreno, of the University of Pennsylvania, and editor of the Center for American Progress's Science Progress, offers an important analysis of the societal currents swirling around volatile scientific issues, primarily biotechnology. Leaping into what he calls a "new biopolitics," implying the interconnection of biology and national political and cultural debate, Moreno brings rare insight to his description of conservative fears about the dangers of biotech, invoking a change from biology as a way of describing life to today's use of biology to attempt to alter, and commodify, life. Although interested in the philosophical questions raised by modern biology, he wisely uses familiar ethical questions to illustrate the various strands of the debate: on abortion, end-of-life decisions, and stem cell research, among others. Moreno also explores the philosophical underpinnings of Western civilization's views of science; in a few short pages he discusses Marx, Edmund Burke, Kant, and Heidegger, and how their views inform the debate over modern bioethics. Moreno delivers a powerful defense of science and an equally powerful indictment of those conservatives who have a fundamental quarrel with biotechnology. Moreno respects his readers' intelligence in this nuanced and thoughtful book.
Customer Reviews
Great writing, awful copyediting
This is an incredible book: a tour de force dissecting the intersection of philosophy, theology, and bioscience. I would give it 5 stars, but the copy editing is awful…typos on every other page or so, some of which are hugely distracting and even alter the sense of the words. Thank you Jon Moreno for such a delightful and thoughtful book, and shame on you Perseus Books for not doing it justice.