Related Departments
Related Topics
Related Articles
What's Biotechnology Got to Do With It?
An essay by Kenneth E. Roth, associate professor of biology at Eastern Mennonite University and a member of the bioethics conference planning committee.
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, ignorance is a lack of knowledge or information about something. It is often confused with stupidity, but it shouldn’t be. All of us are ignorant, only some are stupid at times.
Ignorance is bliss, it's been said, and sometimes I must agree. For example, I’d really rather not know exactly what’s in my chili cheese hot dog. I just want to eat it and enjoy it. More often, though, I think we are better off if we stay as well-informed as possible. We are then more likely to make intelligent decisions, whether as voters, consumers, parents, educators or whatever. This may sound like a good plan, but there is just way too much information out there. We can’t possibly learn it all. We must choose to educate ourselves in those areas that will most likely benefit us.
It’s tough to stay informed. Our world changes so rapidly around us. Not many years ago, when my car needed a tune-up, I’d do it myself. I’d just change the points, plugs and condenser (and the occasional distributor rotor). Now when I open the hood, I have no idea what I’m looking at. Everything has changed. I feel very ignorant. I’m much better off paying a mechanic who knows what she or he is doing.
There's been much debate in recent years about stem cell research, genetically-modified foods, cloning and just about anything that has something to do with DNA. I happen to be a scientist who has had laboratory experience using DNA and doing genetic manipulations, so I should be an expert on these topics, right? Wrong. In many ways I remain quite ignorant.
I get so excited about the wonderful potential outcomes of these rapidly-growing technologies that I sometimes overlook the potentially harmful outcomes. It seems like a good idea to insert the gene for a missing nutrient into rice seeds so that the resulting crop will be more complete. Generally, I think it is a good idea, but what if I’m severely allergic to that nutrient? Unless the package is very clearly labeled, and I am astute enough to read it, I might have a big problem. This is but one example of many ways biotechnology can directly affect you and me.
Considering the tremendous amount of information being generated in biotechnology laboratories, it seems almost impossible to stay informed. Even scientists don’t spend all of their spare time reading research journals (well, maybe the good ones do). The bad news is, we can’t know everything. We will always be a little ignorant. The good news is, we will soon have an opportunity to become better informed about biotechnology and how it affects us.
Eastern Mennonite University is hosting a conference November 13-15, 2003, called “Ethics of Biotechnology: Viewing New Creations with Anabaptist Eyes”. Included among the speakers will be the parent of children who have benefited from gene therapy, a scientist who produces human proteins in tobacco plants, another scientist who works with the Human Genome Project, and people from other disciplines like art, religion and others. There will also be case studies, panel discussions and ample opportunity for audience members to ask questions. This conference is not just for biochemical engineers and their kin, it is also designed for my auto mechanic, in fact, anyone interested in learning more about biotechnology and how it may affect their lives.
This conference is open to anyone within range of this website. We encourage early registrations.
For more information, you can visit the website at www.bioethics.emu.edu or call (540) 432-4400.
