From The Language of God (Francis S. Collins, 2006) pp270-2
This survey of some of the ethical dilemmas associated with coming advances in genomics and related fields is by no means exhaustive. New dilemmas seem to be born every day, and some of the ones described in this Appendix may fade away. For those issues that represent real ethical challenges, and not artificial and unrealistic scenarios, how are we as a society to arrive at conclusions?
First of all, it would be a mistake to simply leave those decisions to the scientists. Scientists have a critical role to play in such debates, since they possess special expertise that may enable a clear distinction of what is possible and what is not. But scientists can’t be the only ones at the table. Scientists by their nature are hungry to explore the unknown. Their moral sense is in general no more or less well developed than that of other groups, and they are unavoidably afflicted by a potential conflict of interest that may cause them to resent boundaries set by non-scientists. Therefore, a wide variety of other perspectives must be represented at the table. The burden is heavy upon those participating in such debates, however, to educate themselves about the scientific facts. As the current debate about stem cells has taught us, hardened positions can sometimes develop long before the nuances of the science have become clear, to the detriment of the potential for real dialogue.
Does a person’s grounding in one of the great world faiths assist his or her ability to resolve these moral and ethical dilemmas? Professional bioethicists would generally say no, since as we have already noted, the principles of ethics such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice are held true by believers and nonbelievers alike. On the other hand, given the uncertain ethical grounding of the postmodernist era, which discounts the existence of absolute truth, ethics grounded on specific principles of faith can provide a certain foundational strength that may otherwise be lacking. I hesitate, however, to advocate very strongly for faith-based bioethics. The obvious danger is the historical record that believers can and will sometimes utilize their faith in a way never intended by God, and to move from loving concern to self-righteousness, demagoguery and extremism.
No doubt those who conducted the Inquisition thought themselves to be carrying out a highly ethical activity, as did those who executed witches in Salem, Massachusetts. In our time, Islamic suicide bombers and assassins of abortion-clinic doctors no doubt are also convinced of their moral righteousness. As we face challenging dilemmas wrought by science in the future, let us bring every right and noble tradition of the world, tried and proven true through the centuries, to the table. But let us not imagine that every individual interpretation of those great truths will be honorable.
Is the science of genetics and genomics beginning to allow us to ”play God”? That phrase is the one most commonly used by those expressing concern about these advances, even when the speaker is a nonbeliever. Clearly the concern would be lessened if we could count on human beings to play God as God does, with infinite love and benevolence. Our track record is not so good. Difficult decisions arise when a conflict appears between the mandate to heal and the moral obligation to do no harm. But we have no alternative but to face those dilemmas head-on, attempt to understand all of the nuances, include the perspectives of all the stakeholders, and try to reach a consensus. The need to succeed at these endeavors is just one more compelling reason why the current battles between the scientific and spiritual worldviews need to be resolved – we desperately need both voices to be at the table, and not to be shouting at each other.
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