Liberation Biology: The Scientific and Moral Case for the Biotech Revolution.

Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, (2005). First Edition. Octavo, white boards (hardcover), 332 pp. Fine in a Fine dust jacket. From dust jacket: The defining political conflict of the twenty-first century will be the battle over life and death. On one side stand the partisans of morality, who counsel humanity to quietly accept our morbid fate and go gently into that good night. On the other is the party of life, who rage against the dying of the light and yearn to extend the enjoyment of healthy life to as amny as possible for as long as possible. This conflict is brewing because rapid progress in biology and biotechnology will utterly transform human life. What was once the stuff of science fiction now may be within reach in the not-too-distant future: twenty-to-forty year leaps in average life spans, enhanced human bodies, drugs and therapies to boost memory and speed up mental processing, and a genetic science that allows parents to ensure that their children have strong immune systems, more athletic bodies, and cleverer brains. Even the prospect of human immortality beckons. Such scenarios excite many people and fighten or appall many others. Already biotechnology opponents are organizing political movements aimed at restricting scientific research, banning the development and commercialization of various products and technologies, and limiting citizens’ access to the fruits of the biotech revolution. In this insightful, forward-looking volume, Ronald Bailey, science writer for Reason magazine, argues that the coming biotechnology revolution, far from endangering human dignity, will liberate human beings ot achieve their full potentials by enablnig more of us to live flourishing lives free of disease, disability, and the threat of early death. Bailey covers the complete range of the coming biogenetic breakthroughs, from stem cell research to third world farming, from brain-enhancing neuropharmaceuticals to designer babies. Against critics of these trends, who forecast the nightmare society of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Bailey persuasively explains why the health, safety, and ethical concerns raised by worried citizens and policymakers are misplaced and outlines a hopeful future in which humanity will be able to thrive.