Biopunk
Transcending the Ethicality of Scientific Research?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/an.58.1.17-36Keywords:
biopunk, American literature, science fiction, posthumanism, science fictionality, synthetic biology, genetic engineering, ethical implications, ethics, Margaret Atwood, Paolo Bacigalupi, Jeff VanderMeer, Greg BearAbstract
The paper focuses on examining the notion of ethics and ethicality of scientific research in SF concerning synthetic biology as presented in representative works of the biopunk genre. It looks into the figure of a mad and at the same time brilliant scientist, and direct references to ethics. Ultimately, it questions the underlying ethical concerns of creating new human and non-human species. In doing so, the work also discusses human exceptionalism, ethical posthumanism, and public acceptance of scientific advances. I will argue that biopunk works are rich in ethical puzzles that raise awareness of the present and illuminate the path to the future of science.
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