Biotechnology Unglued

Proponents of biotechnology claim that its advances will create a better world -- one free of malnutrition and hunger, where better medical treatments will be available through gene discovery, and where more efficient policing will be possible with improved forensic techniques. While some biotechnological innovations do provide significant benefits to individual users, their impact on society is often poorly understood. Will these new technologies unravel, or perhaps realign, the social fabric as we know it?

Biotechnology Unglued explores this question in a well-considered investigation of the effects of technology on social cohesion. The essays present case studies of how various applications in agricultural, medical, and forensic biotechnology have affected the cohesiveness of agricultural communities, citizens, consumer groups, scientific communities, and society in general. The contributors, from a range of backgrounds, demonstrate how particular kinds of technology-society and technology-corporate configurations affect social cohesion by creating cultures of surveillance, competition, social exclusion, and control.

The two faces of biotechnology are revealed throughout to show the promises and perils associated with a range of innovations. The book’s reasoned commentary and engaging style will appeal to anyone interested in the social dimensions of biotechnology.