A Study On Ethic Issues In The Transgenic Technology

Life science and biotechnology are one of the most important technical areas in21stcentury, the development of which causes evolutionary changes in the areas ofmedicine, agriculture, food, pharmacy, etc, and the development of transgenictechnology is especially representative. Taking advantage of transgenic technology,human beings can realize some wishes, such as curing some persistent ailments,improving the life qualities and crop yielding. However, some ethic issues come intobeing at the same time. How to take the transgenic technology correctly and guidethem to the direct that may advances the development of human society becomes asubject with great theoretical and practical significance.This thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is introduction. In thispart, the background of the study on ethic issues in the transgenic technology isintroduced briefly, which includes proposition of the topic, literature review at homeand abroad, the purpose and significance of the thesis, the methods of the study andthe innovation and shortage of the thesis. The issues of transgenic technology are thehot spots in the studies of the philosophy of science and technology at home andabroad. The development and application of the transgenic technology relate to theethics of life, ecology, etc, and they are the major objects of the studies of thephilosophy of science and technology.The second chapter mainly introduces the transgenic technology. The thesisfirstly defines the related concepts of transgenic technology like gene, geneticengineering. And then by explaining the concepts of the transgenic technology,hybridization technique and clone technology, the thesis analyzes the differences andrelations between transgenic technology and hybridization technique and clonetechnology and gets a clear recognition of the transgenic technology and it characteristics. Then, the thesis states the development history of transgenictechnology, and analyzes the status quo of the transgenic technology development inthe whole world from the aspects of the countries and areas in which transgenictechnology are applied, from which the influences the transgenic technology makes tothe society and people’s life.In chapter three, the thesis, based on the characteristics of the transgenictechnology, elaborates the major ethic issues caused by the present transgenictechnology, including the negative influences to the whole natural lives, the humanbeings, the society and the ecological environment. Transgenic technology destroysthe natural barriers among the species and changes the speed of the species evolution,which negate the values of the life and violate the holiness of the life. Transgenictechnology can operate and select the human beings’ genes and may exchange thegenes of a man and an animal, which make the humanity vague and violate the dignityand basic rights of the human beings. Transgenic technology are controlled by theminority, the problems benefit distribution caused by which challenge the socialequity and justice. The application of the transgenic technology to the agriculturebreaks the rule of “the survival of the fittest”, which damages the biological diversityand causes issues of ecological ethics. In the fourth part, the thesis analyzes the causesof the transgenic technology issues by employing the basic theories and methods ofthe ethics from the uncertainty of the transgenic technology, the drive of the economicbenefits, the cultural perceptions, and so on.In the end, on the basis of the causes of the ethic issues of the transgenictechnology, the thesis proposes some strategies, such as strengthening thedevelopment of the technology, improving the supervising mechanism of thetransgenic technology safety, establishing new values and enhancing the ethicprinciples and the effects of the moral norms, which to some extent can provide a newidea for solving the ethic issues of the transgenic technology.