Altering Nature: Concepts of Nature and The Natural in Biotechnology Debates

This volume analyzes concepts of nature and the natural in discussions of biotechnology with four broad concerns in mind. First, it surveys the recent history of biotechnology debates and identifies characteristic reactions and approaches to new biotechnological developments that invoke appeals to nature. Second, it analyzes concepts of nature and the natural as they are invoked and interpreted in five characteristic modes of discourse; viz., spirituality and religion, philosophy, science and medicine, law and economics, and aesthetics. Third, it identifies a core cluster of ontological, epistemological, moral, and aesthetic questions that arise in conversations about nature as normative. Fourth, it highlights the findings of each of the five chapters, identifies areas of contrast and commonality, and identifies areas for further research.