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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