Premium
Synthetic Biology Ethics: A Deontological Assessment
Author(s) -
Heavey Patrick
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
bioethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.494
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1467-8519
pISSN - 0269-9702
DOI - 10.1111/bioe.12052
Subject(s) - deontological ethics , dignity , consequentialism , dilemma , ethical dilemma , morality , perspective (graphical) , humanity , environmental ethics , bioethics , epistemology , engineering ethics , philosophy , political science , law , computer science , artificial intelligence , engineering
In this article I discuss the ethics of synthetic biology from a broadly deontological perspective, evaluating its morality in terms of the integrity of nature, the dignity of life and the relationship between God and his creation. Most ethical analyses to date have been largely consequentialist in nature; they reveal a dual use dilemma, showing that synbio has potential for great good and great evil, possibly more so than any step humanity has taken before. A deontological analysis may help to resolve this dilemma, by evaluating whether synbio is right or wrong in itself. I also assess whether deontology alone is a sufficient methodological paradigm for the proper evaluation of synbio ethics.