With its high-interest adaptations of classic literature and plays; this series inspires reading success and further exploration for all students.These classics are skillfully adapted into concise; softcover books of 80-136 pages. Each retains the integrity and tone of the original book.Interest Level: 5-12Reading Level: 3-4
#1192018 in Books 2004-08-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .70 x 6.00l; .85 #File Name: 0830827838252 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Chick Colson's primer for the Bioethics student.By RK P.Bought for Bioethics student in college. Well thought out and written.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Excellent resource - especially for a college studentBy Dan PanettiColson and Cameron do an outstanding job putting together a compilation of essays and articles from some of the top thinkers in the world on the issue of biotechnology and bioethics. Contributors include a who's-who of lawyers and doctors from groups like the Family Research Council; The Mayo Clinic; and the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Dr. Cameron himself is a research professor of bioethics at Chicago-Kent College of Law and the president of the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future. He also directs the Council for Biotechnology Policy (Washington D.C); chaired by Charles W. Colson.The twelve essays alert the reader to the ethical and legal challenges facing our generation involving embryo research; stem cell research; cloning; generic engineering; gene therapy; pharmacogenomics; cybernetics; nanotechnology; and abortion. The papers are well researched and well reasoned and provide for the reader an excellent insight into the future of this debate from a biblical foundation.The fundamental issue raised by the book regards the direction of our nation; especially in the area of public policy. Colson notes that the government's responsibility is not the greatest good for the greatest number (utilitarian theory); but rather the protection of the weak from the strong who would exploit them. That foundational biblical principle should be our guiding light as we enter this public debate - what kind of society do we want for the generations that follow - one that seeks to create life only to destroy it for the immediate benefit of those alive or one that seeks to protect and promote life based on its intrinsic value as a special creation of God.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. good overview from a Christian perspectBy Gordon HackmanHere is a good and informative collection of essays; written from a Christian perspective; concerning the importance of contemporary bioethical issues. Though the authors come from a variety of experiential and academic backgrounds; they are all untied in both their commitment to genuinely Christian cultural engagement and in defending the God given dignity of human beings in an age in which the Christian view of humanity is under increasing assault.All of the essays are worth reading; but the ones I found most informative and helpful came from Nigel Cameron; C. Christopher Hook; David Prentice; William Saunders; and Page Comstock Cunningham. William Saunders essay was particularly valuable to me for the way in which he demonstrates how the arguments currently used to disenfranchise the human embryo and declare it less than a person are virtually identical to those used by the Nazis to declare certain classes of people "unfit" or less than persons. Hook deals with the issues surrounding "transhumanism" and the altering of the human body through technological modification. David Prentice addresses the question of what it means to be human and how this question is central to issues surrounding research using human embryonic stemcells. He discusses how the use of human embryos for research violates basic ethical norms for research done on human beings; and how there are ethical alternatives to using human embryos in research. Both Cameron and Cunningham deal with issues of strategy in publicly addressing bioethical matters and defending human dignity. Cameron's essay is particularly valuable for the way in which it addresses our current cultural climate and its relationship to bioethical issues; particularly relating to the culture of abortion. He also addresses well the state of the contemporary church and its preparedness (or lack thereof) to address such important issues.If you want to be informed about bioethical issues from a Christian perspective; are simply interested in how some Christians are approaching these issues; or are concerned about question of human dignity in contemporary culture; this book is definitely a worthwhile read.
