Acceptable genes? [electronic resource] : religious traditions and genetically modified foods / edited by Conrad G. Brunk and Harold Coward.

Cover image for Acceptable genes? [electronic resource] : religious traditions and genetically modified foods / edited by Conrad G. Brunk and Harold Coward.

ISBN:

9781441632142

Title:

Acceptable genes? [electronic resource] : religious traditions and genetically modified foods / edited by Conrad G. Brunk and Harold Coward.

Author:

Brunk, Conrad G. (Conrad Grebel), 1945-

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vi, 272 pages).

Series:

SUNY series on religion and the environment

Contents:

Genetics and genetically modified organisms / Samuel Abraham -- Ethical perspectives on food biotechnology / Paul B. Thompson -- Does vegetarianism preclude eating GM foods? / Lyne Létourneau -- "When you plow the field, your Torah is with you": genetic modification and GM food in the Jewish tradition(s) / Laurie Zoloth -- Some Christian reflections on GM food / Donald Bruce -- Genetically modified foods and Muslim ethics / Ebrahim Moosa -- A hundred autumns to flourish: Hindu attitudes to genetically modified food / Vasudha Narayanan -- The Karma of genetically modified food: a Buddhist perspective / David R. Loy -- "So that you may have it with no harm": changing attitudes toward food in Late Imperial China / Hsiung Ping-chen -- Born from bears and corn: why indigenous knowledge systems and beliefs matter in the debate on GM foods / Shiri Pasternak, Lorenzo Mazgul, and Nancy J. Turner -- Regulatory and innovation implications of religious and ethical sensitivitIes concerning GM food / Conrad G. Brunk, Nola M. Ries, and Leslie C. Rodgers.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Genetically modified foods -- Religious aspects.

Added Author:

Brunk, Conrad G. (Conrad Grebel), 1945-

Coward, Harold G.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2009

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
215.7 22	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

At the supermarket, modern biotechnology has surpassed science fiction with such feats as putting fish genes in tomatoes to create a more cold-resistant crop. While the environmental and health concerns over such genetically modified foods have been the subject of public debate, religious and spiritual viewpoints have been given short shrift. This book seeks to understand the moral and religious attitudes of groups within pluralistic societies whose traditions and beliefs raise for them unique questions about food and dietary practice.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Genetically modified (GM) foods and organisms have undergone human manipulation to produce marketable products, which is considered offensive in some belief systems. The notion of consuming recombinant DNA-containing genes from different species, such as animal genes inserted into plant genotypes for ostensibly positive outcomes, repels various populations. Here, more than a dozen scholars of different beliefs examine the moral/ethical issues of marketing GM products. The book starts with a basic introduction to genetic modification methods, and the following chapters examine the diverse and often conflicting views of both experts and the lay public concerning GM foods. The final chapter examines the regulatory and market implications of cultural concerns and considers means to label GM foods to enable consumers to choose according to their cultural preferences. The cardinal concern of all groups centers on the motivation for modifying species integrity: If it is for human benefit, it is considered acceptable; if used for profit or scientific glory, no religion finds it acceptable. Fascinating and thought-provoking, with interesting insights about cultural mores, this collection provides a valuable appreciation of the social repercussions that result from thrusting a sensitive, volatile technology on a tradition-oriented public. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. R. A. Hoots emeritus, Sacramento City College