Jane Maienschein

In the following viewpoint, Jane Maienschein, a professor of philosophy and biology at Arizona State University, argues that society should more closely examine the ethical, legal, and social implications of advances in genetic engineering. However, she notes that regulation of genetic engineering will be difficult because, much more so than with other technologies, people’s views about genetic engineering are closely tied to their most fundamental values. She maintains that society’s conflicting views about genetic engineering—as either “just another technology” or as unethical meddling with nature—must be resolved before choices can be made about how the new technologies should or should not be used.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What explanation does the author offer for why Europeans are more concerned than Americans...