Papaioannou, Theo
(2009).
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| URL: | http://www.gspjournal.com/ |
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| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-5354-5-2-40 |
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
New life sciences innovation offers the possibility of new conceptions of human nature with significant impact on liberal theories of justice. So far, nature as such has been thought to be something given and beyond human control. Thus, to define something as natural has meant the same thing as to relegate it to the realm of fortune or misfortune, rather than justice or injustice. However, the successful decoding of the human genome and subsequent advances in genomics-based technologies begins to change this conception to a new one: nature can be something dynamic and within human control. Therefore, genomics-based technologies can make possible the just distribution of natural goods (rationality, intelligence, etc). Can liberal political theories successfully deal with this new possibility of justice? This paper addresses the question by briefly assessing Rawls' egalitarianism, Nozick's libertarianism and Sen's capability theory of justice. It is argued that these theories fail to address the new possibility of justice made feasible by life sciences innovation. On the one hand, libertarianism is insensitive to natural inequalities. On the other hand, egalitarianism and the capability theory of justice are limited to compensating for natural inequalities and avoid ensuring just distribution of natural goods. Contemporary liberal theories are not dynamic enough to deal with distributive justice in the 21st century.
| Item Type: | Journal Item |
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| Copyright Holders: | 2009 ESRC Genomics Network |
| ISSN: | 1746-5354 |
| Keywords: | Human Nature, Distributive Justice, Primary Good, ESRC Genomic Network, Natural Good |
| Academic Unit/School: | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Development, Geography > Development Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Development, Geography Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) |
| Research Group: | Innovation, Knowledge & Development research centre (IKD) OpenSpace Research Centre (OSRC) Institute for Innovation Generation in the Life Sciences (Innogen) |
| Item ID: | 20712 |
| Depositing User: | Theo Papaioannou |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Mar 2010 16:53 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Dec 2018 13:04 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/20712 |
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