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Reading texts between generations: a proposal concerning theological engagement with genetic research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2005

Rachel Muers
Affiliation:
University of Exeter, Department of Theology, Queen's Building, The Queen's Drive, Exeter EX4 4QH, [email protected]

Abstract

The issue of the ethical status of future generations is significant in debates about research in human genetics, but key (non-theological) statements on the subject, such as the UNESCO Declaration on Human Rights and the Human Genome, reflect a failure to think of future persons as located within communities of ethical reflection and interpretation. I draw on recent work in the philosophy of conservation biology to explore this failure, and argue that a major contribution of theology to ethical reflection on genetic research would be through discussion of ways of reading, transmitting and interpreting texts.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Scottish Journal of Theology Ltd 2004

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Footnotes

This article is based on the paper ‘Justice to Future Generations: The Contribution of Theological Bioethics’, which was given at the American Academy of Religion Bioethics and Religion Group, November 2003. I am grateful to members of that group for their comments.