Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge [Hardcover]

Vandana Shiva (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0896085562 | ISBN-13: 978-0896085565 | Publication Date: July 1, 1999

In her latest book, award-winning scientist and activist Dr. Vandana Shiva argues that genetic engineering and the cloning of organisms, far from being socially useful, are "the ultimate expression of the commercialization of science and the commodification of nature."

"In the era of genetic engineering and patents, life itself is being colonized," says Shiva. She describes the hidden history of genetically engineered organisms, from Herman the transgenic dairy bull, to Tracy, the genetically engineered sheep that "lays golden eggs."

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a path-breaking work on one of the most important issues of the coming century...a clarion call [that] should be widely read and discussed by everyone concerned with the fate of the Earth. -- Jeremy Rifkin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

A world-renowned environmental leader and recipient of the 1993 Alternative Nobel Peace Prize (the Right Livelihood Award), Shiva has authored several bestselling books, most recently Earth Democracy. Activist and scientist, Shiva leads, with Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin, the International Forum on Globalization. Before becoming an activist, Shiva was one of India's leading physicists.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: South End Press (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896085562
• ISBN-13: 978-0896085565
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,567,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A world-renowned environmental leader and recipient of the 1993 Alternative Nobel Peace Prize (the Right Livelihood Award), Shiva has authored several bestselling books, most recently Earth Democracy. Activist and scientist, Shiva leads, with Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin, the International Forum on Globalization. Before becoming an activist, Shiva was one of India's leading physicists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impeccable analysis of one of world's greatest problems, December 20, 1999

By 

Robert Walker (Portage, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (Paperback)

In Biopiracy, the Plunder of Nature and Knowledge, Vandana Shiva starts from the very reasonable premise that life forms, used for nutritional and medicinal purposes by native cultures for centuries, should not be patented by foreign multinational corporations as "new discoveries". In other words, this book is not for anyone who feels that it is okay to patent life forms which are modifications of already existing species. If you are interested in the problems with this approach and its political, economic, and moral implications, this book is necessary reading. Shiva exposes this exploitation of the intellectual and material wealth of the third world in the name of profits. Shiva's Monocultures of the Mind is also strongly recommended.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sharp warning cry of alarm, February 14, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (Paperback)

Biopiracy by physicist, ecologist, and environmental activist Vandana Shiva is a harsh but perceptive survey and analysis of the expansion of population pressures on the environment, and more importantly, the technological advances which have been made and which seemingly have begun to dominate and shape life itself, as well as the process by which life is generated. A timely and critically important contribution to environmental policy discussions, Biopiracy is recommended as a sharp warning cry of alarm at where humanity's current tendency to pollute and put the dollar first can lead, as well as the damage that modern trends have down to traditional ways of life, -- especially among native peoples.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important introduction to the global threat to biodiversity, November 7, 2005

By 

Mark DeRespinis (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (Paperback)

Vandana Shiva has become one of the most outspoken defenders of biodiversity and the commons, persistently working to advance the public understanding of a complicated history of corporate and legislative decisions that have changed the landscape of our lives and the lives of people the world over. She has contributed to a vital dialogue about the effects of globalization and the silent tragedies that are occuring every day because of strange business practices and the relentless politics of the new manifest destiny. "Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge" is a succinct and accessible introduction to the issue of patents and corporate control of the natural world. Shiva is an articulate educator who writes about the difficult and often unspoken history of corporate exploitation of the knowledge of non-Western cultures. By arguing vehemently for the preservation of the farmer's right to save seeds, as well as local rights to ecological and historically tested uses of the natural world, Shiva outlines an ethical path for movement forward and for responding proactively to unfair business practices. I read this book in the context of a larger look at the world's food supply from an ecological and political perspective, but it speaks to a wide audience and can reach far in spreading truth about what is happening in our world - much of which is not getting reported in the mainstream media.