Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
E m e r g i n g b i o t e c h n o l o g i e s<br />
enablement and public reas<strong>on</strong>ing that, particularly given the influence of researchers outside<br />
the research c<strong>on</strong>text, the boundaries of this c<strong>on</strong>text should be broadened to enable technical<br />
framings and sources of normativity to be counterbalanced within the research c<strong>on</strong>text rather<br />
than externally to it, where they might already circumscribe decisi<strong>on</strong> making. This should not be<br />
left to the integrity of individuals but should be supported by systems.<br />
C<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong><br />
6.62 In this Chapter we have c<strong>on</strong>sidered the influences <strong>on</strong> researchers that inform how their<br />
influence may be co-opted or directed and the role of researchers in shaping emerging<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>. We have suggested that, both am<strong>on</strong>g individual researchers as well for<br />
researchers in general, there is a ‘functi<strong>on</strong> creep’ from research into policy making that<br />
heightens the influence of technical framings in setting the c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s for <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
generally. Perhaps the most characteristic feature of researchers’ involvement, arising from the<br />
20 th Century specialisati<strong>on</strong> and professi<strong>on</strong>alisati<strong>on</strong> of scientific research, is their commitment to<br />
individual technologies: c<strong>on</strong>sulting any researcher is unlikely to produce a balanced reflecti<strong>on</strong><br />
<strong>on</strong> a range of alternative technologies that might potentially address a given social objective. In<br />
the next Chapter we c<strong>on</strong>sider the questi<strong>on</strong>s that arise for policy makers in c<strong>on</strong>templating<br />
selective support for <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> in relati<strong>on</strong> to social objectives, and the influence of<br />
research policy <strong>on</strong> emerging <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />
C H A P T E R 6<br />
111