How to Keep Out What We Don’t Want: An Assessment of ‘Sozialvertr Aglichkeit’ Under The Austrian Genetic Engineering Act  

Oleh:

Seifert, Franz ; Torgersen, Helge

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Public Understanding of Science vol. 6 no. 4 (Okt. 1997), page 301-327.
Fulltext: 301PUS64.pdf (156.67KB)

Isi artikel

National regulations for new science and engineering projects are often drawn up on foundations that refer to the current ‘state of the art’. However, this approach suffers from the fundamental problem, among others, that science progresses quickly, and models for the development of science have only limited predictive ability. Assessing the risk associated with a project therefore becomes a complex problem; and so non-scientific criteria can not be excluded from the decision-making process. An example of such non-technical criteria can be found in Austrian regulations on genetic engineering where: ‘products containing or consisting of genetically engineered organisms must not create any “Soziale Unvertr¨aglichkeit” [social unsustainability], no ‘unbalanced burden on society or social groups’ that is unacceptable for economic, social or moral reasons.’ The aim of this paper is to investigate the implications of this provision. The paper begins with a discussion of the fundamental issues of regulating genetic engineering at a national level, then examines the evolution of the Austrian Genetic Engineering Act, and critically assesses the term ‘Sozialvertr¨aglichkeit’. Having examined various mechanisms whereby non-scientific criteria can be included in the decision-making process, the paper argues that Sozialvertr¨aglichkeit can be interpreted as a constructive answer to the problems of a risk society.

Opini Anda

Klik untuk menuliskan opini Anda tentang koleksi ini!

Kembali