Bioconservatism

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Bioconservatism is a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes caution and restraint in the use of biotechnologies, particularly those involving genetic manipulation and human enhancement.[1] The term "bioconservatism" is a portmanteau of the words biology and conservatism.

Critics of bioconservatism, such as Steve Clarke and Rebecca Roache, argue that bioconservatives ground their views primarily in intuition, which can be subject to various cognitive biases. Bioconservatives' reluctance to acknowledge the fragility of their position is seen as a reason for stalled debate.[2]

Bioconservatism is characterized by a belief that technological trends risk compromising human dignity, and by opposition to movements and technologies including transhumanism, human genetic modification, "strong" artificial intelligence, and the technological singularity. Many bioconservatives also oppose the use of technologies such as life extension and preimplantation genetic screening.[citation needed]

Bioconservatives range in political perspective from right-leaning religious and cultural conservatives to left-leaning environmentalists and technology critics. What unifies bioconservatives is skepticism about medical and other biotechnological transformations of the living world.[3][4][5][6] In contrast to bioluddism, the bioconservative perspective typically presents a more focused critique of technological society. It is distinguished by its defense of the natural, framed as a moral category.[7][8]

  1. ^ Browne, Tamara Kayali; Clarke, Steve (2019-04-01). "Bioconservatism, bioenhancement and backfiring". Journal of Moral Education. 49 (2). Informa UK Limited: 241–256. doi:10.1080/03057240.2019.1576125. ISSN 0305-7240. PMC 7155838. PMID 32308552.
  2. ^ Roache, Rebecca; Clarke, Steve (2009-03-01). "Bioconservatism, Bioliberalism, and the Wisdom of Reflecting on Repugnance". Monash Bioethics Review. 28 (1): 4.1–21. doi:10.1007/BF03351306. ISSN 1836-6716. PMID 19839275. S2CID 21214687.
  3. ^ Huesemann, Michael; Huesemann, Joyce (2011-10-04). Techno-fix: Why Technology Won't Save Us or the Environment. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. ISBN 978-0-86571-704-6.
  4. ^ Mander, J. (1991). In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations. Sierra Club Books. ISBN 978-0-87156-739-0.
  5. ^ Rifkin, J. (1998). The Biotech Century: Harnessing the Gene and Remaking the World. Gollancz. ISBN 978-0-575-06658-8.
  6. ^ Shiva, V. (2000). Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. Ecology and Green Politics Series. South End Press. ISBN 978-0-89608-607-4.
  7. ^ "The Trouble with "Transhumanism": Part Two". ieet.org. Dec 22, 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Carrico, Dale (2005). "Technoprogressivism Beyond Technophilia and Technophobia". ieet.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2007-01-28.