Eloquence and good sense from Art Caplan in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
The scientists I know are full of reverence for life, for people, and for our future possibilities together. They are in awe of nature. They are humble in the presence of the simplest cell, bacteria, virus or bit of mold in a lab dish. There is a spirituality about pursuing science as deep and as sincere as any to be found in religion. There are indeed important moral and ethical questions to be debated about the “humanness” of the genetic research being carried out in labs, behind closed corporate doors, and in distant lands whose cultures and traditions make us edgy.
That said, I do not know a single genetic scientist, not one, who thinks that moral, ethical and even public reflection about the morality of genetic engineering is silly, pointless or unnecessary. In the halls I am lucky enough to travel in universities, companies and research institutes, these subjects are debated and discussed as hotly and as with as much passion as they are at the Vatican; in your church, synagogue or mosque; or at your dinner table. Scientists do care, and they care deeply what their peers think and what you and I think.
What we need is what C.P. Snow once called for: a bridge between the two cultures. For him, the bridge was between the sciences and the humanities. Today we need a bridge between those who do science and those who do values. Scientists do “do values” – it is just that few outsiders get to see them do so. And many of us are fascinated by genetic science but quickly give up trying to follow it because there are so very few to teach us. What we need today is a dialogue, a conversation, some old-fashioned jawing. We do not need demagoguery, fear-mongering or stereotyping. We certainly do not need bans and fiats and Do Not Pass Go restrictions.
What scientists need to do – and quickly – is come out of their laboratory lairs and be seen in public. You need to know about their aspirations, dreams, hopes, and values. You need to know they stand shoulder to shoulder with all of us in wanting a better world. They see a better future and a way to get there.
Genetic research in the hands of those who practice is not aimed at power, fame, ambition, or transforming oneself into a god. If it is about anything, it is about love: the love of life, the love of people, the drive to make a better life for the sick and those at risk of becoming so.
To ensure the future of this century, we must ensure sufficient education, dialogue, oversight, accountability and control over the industrialization, commercialization and financing of genetic science. In the hands of its practitioners, that science is very, very unlikely to take us anywhere we do not want to go. But ignorance, inattention or indifference to what governments, business and the military do with genetics could land us in places no one wanted to reach.
Caplan’s complete editorial can be read here.