Agro-technology: a philosophical introduction
Humans have been modifying plants and animals for millennia. The dawn of molecular genetics, however, has kindled intense public scrutiny and controversy. Crops, and the food products which include them, have dominated molecular modification in agriculture. Organisations have made unsubstantiated claims and scare mongering is common. In this textbook Paul Thompson presents a clear account of the significant issues - identifying harms and benefits, analysing and managing risk - which lie beneath…
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- Full title :Agro-technology : a philosophical introduction / R. Paul Thompson.
Summary
Humans have been modifying plants and animals for millennia. The dawn of molecular genetics, however, has kindled intense public scrutiny and controversy. Crops, and the food products which include them, have dominated molecular modification in agriculture. Organisations have made unsubstantiated claims and scare mongering is common. In this textbook Paul Thompson presents a clear account of the significant issues - identifying harms and benefits, analysing and managing risk - which lie beneath the cacophony of public controversy. His comprehensive analysis looks especially at genetically modified organisms, and includes an explanation of the scientific background, an analysis of ideological objections, a discussion of legal and ethical concerns, a suggested alternative - organic agriculture - and an examination of the controversy's impact on sub-Saharan African countries. His book will be of interest to students and other readers in philosophy, biology, biotechnology and public policy.
Read More ↓Edition Statements
- Publication Date:2011.
Publication Statements
- Publisher(s):Cambridge University Press
- Place of Publication:Cambridge
- Language:eng
- Publication Date:2011.
Notes
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
The Physical Object
- Description:1 online resource (1 recurso electrónico (xxiii, 233 p.)).
Edition Identifiers
- ISBN:9780511977541, 0511977549
- oclc:on1198272799
- Dewey Decimal:630
Table of Contents
Scientific background. Population genetics ; Quantitative genetics ; Hybridisation ; Molecular genetics -- Application of genetics to agriculture. Genetic modification of plants and animals : techniques ; Agricultural biotechnology : current products and future prospects -- Philosophical and conceptual background. A primer of logic, reasoning and evidence ; Relevant ethical theories ; Harm and risk analysis ; The precautionary principle -- The controversy : ideological and theological objections. Advocacy and NGOs ; Interfering with life ; Patenting life -- The controversy : purported benefits. Environmental benefits ; Yield and food security benefits ; Health benefits -- The controversy : purported harms. Economic and corporate harms ; Environmental harms ; Health harms -- The organic alternative. The environment : conventional, organic and GM agriculture ; Health : evidential lacunae ; The problem of yields ; GM and organic the false dichotomy -- Impact on low and middle-income countries : poverty, farming, and colonial legacies -- Concluding remarks.
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