MCB504

041712

Biology is the science that tries to explain the nature of the mechanisms that keep living organisms functioning as well as their interaction with the environment. Getting to know these mechanisms is not only interesting from the pure sense of knowledge, but this information can be used to manipulate the physiology of the organism as well as its environment. The speed at which many biological discoveries have taken place in the last decades has been extraordinary. Terms like stem cell, gene cloning, and crops bioengineering are commonly used by science students in high school and the general public, and you hear about them in the media frequently. Many of these discoveries have immediate applications while others could (or will) be used in future ones. Many scholars (scientists in general and philosophers in particular) have raised concerns on the moral/ethical implications of several applications of this knowledge. This course is intended to bring these concerns to the consideration of this group. We will present and evaluate a select number of topics from the following points of view: 1) the science of the issue in question, 2) the significance and application of this scientific knowledge, 3) moral and ethical issues raised by the application of this science, 4) the social impact, and 5) legal consideration that these advances of biology could cause. We will evaluate, analyze, and argue each of these points. These exercises will help us to develop a more critical analysis of these ethical issues in order to better prepare for real-life application in the healthcare field.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Graduate

018475

MCB404