Event: Ethical Issues In Synthetic Biology: New Report Calls for a Broad Ethics of Emerging Technologies

June 18, 2009

Ethical Issues In Synthetic Biology: New Report Calls for a Broad Ethics of Emerging Technologies
Washington, DC

In Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology: An Overview of the Debates, the authors examine how the ethical issues raised by a variety of emerging technologies are often similar and familiar. They find that these similarities are abundant enough to justify an effort to develop an ethical framework that cuts across emerging and converging technologies. Indeed, rather than stovepiping ethical questions into the hyphenated areas of bio-ethics, nano-ethics, neuro-ethics and so on, it is time to begin speaking about the ethics of emerging technologies as a whole.

On June 24, Erik Parens will discuss the report’s findings, exploring the differences between physical and non-physical harms and pro-actionary and pre-cautionary frameworks, in an effort to better define the ethical issues around synthetic biology. Gregory Kaebnick, also of The Hastings Center, will describe the Center’s new, multi-year project that will examine the ethical issues raised in the report in greater depth.

You must register to attend this event: RSVP
www.synbioproject.org/about/contact/rsvp/
No registration necessary to view the webcast

When
Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 12:30-1:30 PM (light lunch available at 12 noon)

Who
Erik Parens, Senior Research Scholar, The Hastings Center
Gregory Kaebnick, Research Scholar, The Hastings Center
David Rejeski, Moderator, Director, Synthetic Biology Project

Where
5th Floor Conference Room, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars