Beyond Therapy
Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness Leon Kass
Publisher: Regan Books
ISBN: 0060734906
Edition: Paperback; 2003-12-01
Summary:
A groundbreaking new exploration of the promises and perils of
biotechnology -- and the future of American society. Biotechnology
offers exciting prospects for healing the sick and relieving
suffering. But because our growing powers also enable alterations in
the workings of the body and mind, they are becoming attractive to
healthy people who would just like to look younger, perform better,
feel happier, or become more "perfect." This landmark book -- the
product of more than sixteen months of research and reflection by the
members of the President's Council on Bioethics -- explores the
profound ethical and social consequences of today's biotechnical
revolution. Almost every week brings news of novel methods for
screening genes and testing embryos, choosing the sex and modifying
the behavior of children, enhancing athletic performance, slowing
aging, blunting painful memories, brightening mood, and altering
basic temperaments. But we must not neglect the fundamental question:
Should we be turning to biotechnology to fulfill our deepest human
desires? We want better children -- but not by turning procreation
into manufacture or by altering their brains to gain them an edge
over their peers. We want to perform better in the activities of life
-- but not by becoming mere creatures of chemistry. We want longer
lives -- but not at the cost of becoming so obsessed with our own
longevity that we care little about future generations. We want to be
happy -- but not by taking a drug that gives us happy feelings
without the genuine loves, attachments, and achievements that are
essential to true human flourishing. As we enjoy the benefits of
biotechnology, members of the council contend, we need to hold fast
to an account of the human being seen not in material or mechanistic
or medical terms but in psychic, moral, and spiritual ones. By
grasping the limits of our new powers, we can savor the fruits of the
age of biotechnology without succumbing to its most dangerous
temptations. Beyond Therapy takes these issues out of the narrow
circle of bioethics professionals and into the larger public arena,
where matters of this importance rightly belong.
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