Genetically Modified Foods (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) [Paperback]

Michael Ruse (Editor), David Castle (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1573929964 | ISBN-13: 978-1573929967 | Publication Date: November 2002

This lively collection of authoritative articles encompasses the many points of contention in the debate about genetically modified foods. The editors set the context by organising the essays to deal first with the history and the science of genetically modified foods. The next section focuses on the morality of modifying organisms for human use. What factors should be considered in making value judgements about this technology? Succeeding sections include articles discussing religious attitudes toward genetically modified food, legal issues involving patenting and environmental damage, risk assessment, and possible environmental threats and benefits. Complete with a glossary and suggestions for further reading, this outstanding collection of recently published and brand new articles serves as a comprehensive introduction and a very useful reference work to an important technology with world-wide social consequences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a well-edited compilation of opinions concerning genetically modified foods." -- The Futurist, August 2003

"...could be used fruitfully as a textbook..." -- Quarterly Review of Biology, September 2003

"...outstanding collection...comprehensive introduction and reference work to an important technology with worldwide social consequences." -- AgBioView, February 18, 2003

"...packed with important observations and facts." -- Bookwatch, May 2003

"I enjoyed the book and recommend it...the pieces are lively, well-written, informative, insightful and measured and cogent." -- Alternative Journal, Fall 2003

About the Author

MICHAEL RUSE is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University. He is the author and editor of many books, including TAKING DARWIN SERIOUSLY and CLONING.

DAVID CASTLE is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573929964
• ISBN-13: 978-1573929967
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Biotechnology
  • #71 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Safety & First Aid
  • #95 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Genetics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Biased grouping of essays, July 5, 2004

By 

"khuffling" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genetically Modified Foods (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) (Paperback)

Since this book has "debating" in the title you would think that it would provide a balance of both pro and con viewpoints on the subject of genetically modified foods. I did not find this to be the case. The majority of essays in this book are pro genetically modified foods. Also, several of the pro GMO authors have ties to companies with an economic stake in GMO foods, like Monsanto, that are not disclosed. This significantly damages these authors' credibility. I would not recommend this book if you are looking for a well-rounded exploration of this subject.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good textbook for a bioethics class, April 5, 2011

By 

Daniel Hicks - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genetically Modified Foods (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) (Paperback)

I'm a graduate student in philosophy of science; I'm using reviewing this book as a possible textbook for a course I'm developing on philosophical issues surrounding food. I give it a qualified recommendation, and it's the best textbook I've found for a class that doesn't focus primarily on GMOs. (For this review, by GMOs I mean the agricultural and culinary use of organisms whose genome has been directly and deliberately modified, often by the `splicing' of genes from other species.)

This is an anthology, comprising 35 readings in 8 parts (plus introductions by the editors to each part). The selection of readings is comprehensive -- almost all of the major ethical issues related to GMOs are covered with at least a few readings. On the other hand, many of the readings are short, and several are just 3-4 pages long. They would be more appropriate for first-year and sophomore undergraduates, but more advanced students may be dissatisfied with the brevity.

With the exception of a single very technical article, the readings deal pretty much exclusively with ethical rather than epistemological issues; for a philosophy of science class, I would recommend supplementing this book with, for example, the executive summaries of National Academies reports on what we know about the health, safety, and environmental impact of GMOs. Roughly half of the readings are written by academics in a professional capacity (eg, bioethicists and molecular biologists); the other half are written by activists and pundits (or by people writing in that capacity). Unsurprisingly, many of the latter sort are sloppy, disingenuous, and/or polemical; this is the primary reason I did not give the book 5 starts. I would probably either leave these readings out or assign them sparingly for critical thinking purposes.

The notion of `balance' in presentation is controversial among philosophers and historians of science these days, with some people arguing that it is inappropriate to present scientific controversies in a `balanced' or `fair' way. However, I am inclined to think that `balance' is appropriate, at least in teaching the GMO controversy. Some parts of this anthology are not balanced, and I consider this a mild-to-moderate vice. For example, all three of the readings in the part on labelling argue against labelling, and all three of the readings on patent and international law are critical of the current regimes for handling GMOs. Overall, however, the selection of readings seems to be balanced -- the pro-GMO parts balancing with the GMO-skeptical parts -- and it certainly does a good job of bringing out the complex array of values that are relevant to GMOs.

It's worthwhile and appropriate to compare this anthology with two other prominent anthologies on the same topic: The Ethics of Food: A Reader for the Twenty-First Century, edited by Pence, and Ethical Issues in Biotechnology, edited by Sherlock and Morrey. I find Pence's anthology to be quite poor: despite the title, it deals largely with GMOs; the readings are not at all balanced (it's heavily skewed in favor of GMOs); and there are almost no readings by philosophers or pieces written by academics in a professional capacity. Sherlock and Morrey is an extremely thorough and involved anthology, covering GMOs and some related issues of biotechnology (eg, cloning). Many of their readings are 10-20 pages long, and their introductions to each part make a reasonable effort to explain the relevant science. I recommend Sherlock and Morrey for a class that spends at least half of a semester on GMOs, or an advanced undergraduate class, and Ruse and Castle for class that spends 3-6 weeks on GMOs.

Finally, a few small notes. The binding on my copy seems a little flimsy; I worry that it would not survive a single semester completely intact, much less regular use over several years. It's quite inexpensive, and published by a small and eclectic press. First published in 2002, it's occasionally a bit dated, and undergraduates today are unlikely to remember the public controversy over Golden Rice and protestors dressed up as monarch butterflies.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars textbook, October 9, 2009

By 

ChemMom "Soleil" (Washington,DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genetically Modified Foods (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) (Paperback)

used it as a text book in an undergraduate class of introduction to biotechnology and loved it. yes it is more pro but it got our class talking and most essays were understandable.