Biotech News - The biotechnology culture clash

The biotechnology culture clash

Embedded religious perspectives in East and West create distinct
responses to genetic engineering

By Lee M. Silver
(July 18, 2006)

EAST AND WEST: Different views of humanity's place in the natural
world give rise to varying perspectives on the appropriate use of
biotechnology.
(Source: AngMoKio/Wikimedia Commons)
In the year 2000, my family and I spent nine months traveling across
Asia. Since then I have traveled across most other areas of the
world, most recently sub-Saharan Africa, talking to people about
their spiritual beliefs and what they think about biotechnology in
particular. I will describe my interpretations of what I saw and
heard.

Differences in religious perspectives

If you look at the national law/political climate of embryonic
research, you will notice three different areas: America, Europe
(Mendocino, Calif., I include with Europe) and Asia. Asia, including
Singapore, has a very liberal political climate when it comes to
embryo research in contrast to the other two regions. Conversely,
you get a very different picture in Europe and America on
genetically engineered crops. In America you have positive national
laws and political climate for genetically modified (GM) crops,
whereas Europeans reject GM crops. And in Asia they accept GM. So
you have these three different categorical responses to these two
different technologies. Europe and America are essentially inverse,
but Asia accepts everything.

http://www.stnews.org/News-2909.htm

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