This course probes historical and philosophical underpinnings of several biological disciplines that play a role in contemporary human self-understanding as well as in current debates concerning biotechnologies. Drawing on authors including Thomas Kuhn and Michael Polanyi, we will consider the character of scientific knowing, before examining particular disciplines including genetics, embryology, and neurology. Other authors may include Kass, Holdrege, Talbott, Gilbert, Lewontin, Oyama, and Maienschein.
Selected Texts
Jane Maienschein, Embryos under the Microscope: The Diverging Meanings of Life.
Craig Holdrege, Genetics and the Manipulation of Life: The Forgotten Factor of Context.
Faculty
Lesley Rice
Assistant Professor of Bioethics
Dr. Rice received her doctorate in theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute with a dissertation on contemporary Catholic thought concerning biotechnology and the beginning of life. Her research concerns the history and philosophy of biology, the character of biological knowing, and the cultural and anthropological significance of biotechnologies.
Learn More