The Clash of Markets and Commons - and How It Affects Science, Economic Performance and Democracy

Abstract

"Most of the controversies spawned by the molecular revolution are tremendously complex, so I wade into this territory with some trepidation. I am not a scientist or lawyer, nor even a biotech policy expert. Yet the history of taming dangerous technologies nuclear power, synthetic chemicals, automobiles shows that outsiders often offer valuable, catalytic perspectives. With that conceit, I enter this dialogue as an informed citizen irregular and non-scientist whose expertise lies in a meta-realm: how shall we talk about the ethical, social and democratic implications of genetic technologies? I believe the framing of the issues is at least as important as the so-called facts, because the questions we ask will determine what we regard as relevant facts. The significance of our answers will depend on how we frame our discussion in the first place."