Gregory E. Kaebnick

In this provocative anthology, scholars consider the meaning and merits of “nature” in debates about biotechnology and the environment. Drawing on philosophy, religion, and political science, this book asks what the term “nature” means, how it should be considered, and if it is—even in part—a social construct. The contributors question if the quality of being “natural” is intrinsically valuable. They also discuss whether appeals to nature can and should affect public policy and, if so, whether they are moral trump cards or should instead be weighed against other concerns. Though consensus on these questions remains elusive, this should not be an obstacle to moving the debate forward. By bringing together disparate approaches to addressing these concepts, The Ideal of Nature suggests the possibility of intermediate positions that move beyond the usual full-throated defense and blanket dismissal found in much of the debate. Scholars of bioethics, environmental philosophy, religious studies, sociology, public policy, and political theory will find much merit in this book’s lively discussion.

Debates about Biotechnology and the Environment

The Ideal of Nature

Lori P. Knowles

Research Scholar Gregory E Kaebnick, MR

Concluding with a cautionary call for increased regulation, Reprogenetics introduces fact, history, and reason into a public discussion of complex and vexing issues.

Law, Policy, and Ethical Issues

Reprogenetics

Bruce Jennings

De-extinction, Technology, and the Ethics of Conservation

Recreating the Wild

Should there be limits to the human alteration of the natural world? Through a study of debates about the environment, agricultural biotechnology, synthetic biology, and human enhancement, Gregory E. Kaebnick argues that such moral concerns about nature can be legitimate but are also complex, contestable, and politically limited.

The World As We Find It and the World As We Create It

Humans in Nature

Gregory E. Kaebnick

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