Genetics and the Human Experience
Genetics is to this generation what nuclear physics was to the last - only the atomic bomb is an appropriate analogy for the explosive implications of gene therapy, cloning and eugenics. But, whereas responsibility for atomic energy was left to small cadres of scientists and political leaders, genetics has been laid at our feet. Physics may have vast implications for the human race, but only genetics has implications for what it means to be human.
'Brave New Worlds' is a primer for reclaiming the knowledge and power that is rightfully ours. In eminently clear, informative prose, Bryan Appleyard explores the promise and danger of genetic manipulation. From here, he forges a link between a scientific juggernaut and its moral and ethical implications. Only by making this connection can non-scientists accept responsibility for grave decisions that have no historical precedent. In the end, this book is a public appeal; a plea to realign technological advances with human values.
