Krimsky discusses the birth and expectations of the biotechnology industry, the response to products of genetic engineering, perspectives on risk assessment from different sectors of the scientific community, and public initiatives to regulate new products.
Impacts of technological change have historically been assessed only after the passage of a significant period of time. It is then that historians recreate the decisions that were made, sort out the influencing factors, and debate in hindsight the options that were available at the time. Sheldon Krimsky, consistent with the importance of his subject, telescopes this process by providing to contemporary readers a broad overview of the first ten years of the industrial revolution in applied molecular genetics. He discusses the birth and expectations of the biotechnology industry, the response to products of genetic engineering, perspectives on risk assessment from different sectors of the scientific community, and public initiatives to regulate new products. The author explores the social and political discourse on the direction of biotechnology, and offers the most detailed examination to date of the controversy over the environmental release of genetically engineered organisms. Finally, he takes a critical look at the conventional role of technology assessment and suggests an alternative model that fits more closely with the needs of an environmentally sensitive world.
Krimsky's thought-provoking work offers readers a unique opportunity to understand what questions were being asked, what options were available, and what decisions were being made when the industrial application of genetic technologies was still in its infancy. His insider's perspective will interest those working in the fields of biology and social issues; science, technology, and society; and the sociology of science. Challenging, cautioning, and balanced, this book is required reading for all who are seriously concerned with the relationship of emerging technologies to society.
Preface
The Cultural Significance of the Genetics Revolution
The Industrial Context
The Emergence of the New Biotechnology Industry
Patenting Hybrids, Chimeras, and other Oddities
Science and Wall Street: Academic Entrepreneurship in Biology
Genetics and Ecology
Environmental Applications of Biotechnology
Evolving Policy: From the Laboratory to the Field
Controlling Frost with Bacteria: The First Field Test
Debates over Deliberate Release: Disciplinary Fault Lines
Social Controls
Human Genetic Engineering: New Ethical Frontiers
The Growing Complexity of Regulation
Biotechnology Assessment: Dilemmas and Opportunities
Selected Bibliography
Index
Reviews
Krimsky analyzes the biotechnology industry and its growth over the past 15 years. He is an advocate for the regulation of biotechnology, seeking to optimize its impact on both society and the environment. In the first chapter he gives his views on scientists and their impact on society, seeing them as attempting to control nature, and as promoting a mechanistic view of life. Part 1 describes the history of the biotechnology industry and some of the legal and ethical problems associated with its growth. Part 2 is devoted to the release of genetically engineered organisms, and the differing views of geneticists and ecologists on risk assessment. Part 3 discusses regulation of biotechnology. Here Krimsky argues that market forces will not prevent the misuse of biotechnology, but that a system of social controls must be emplaced to examine each use for its total effect. Useful for undergraduate or graduate students exploring the response to society of this new technology.—Choice
Endorsements
Dr. Krimsky has produced a valuable book on biotechnology and society. Krimsky provides a sound analysis of the social, economic, and environmental issues related to biotechnology that should be examined before specific technologies are recommended for adoption.—David Pimentel Professor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Cornell University
