Evolution and the Deep Past: Intrinsic Responses to Synthetic Biology

Chapter Summary

Because synthetic biology involves creating novel forms of life using genomic material drawn from multiply species of organisms it raises several intrinsic ethical objections (i.e. concerns based on the technology itself, rather than its impacts) having to do with crossing species boundaries and “play God.” In this chapter, Christopher J. Preston argues that intrinsic concerns regarding synthetic biology should not be treated as lightly as they often are by proponents of the technology, since they are quite widely held. He then discusses several different types of intrinsic objections. He argues that some of them, including those based on the sanctity of species boundaries, are not very well justified. However, he believes that there may be a compelling argument to be made against synthetic organisms based on the fact that they are constructed de novo, rather than produced by descent with modification from prior organisms. Therefore, unlike all other organisms, they do not have a continuous causal connection to historical evolutionary processes.