The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America describes the collision of biology and politics in The United States. The book is expertly written by Dr. Jonathan D. Moreno, a noted professor of bioethics at The University of Pennsylvania who has authored over 20 books. The author stands atop two subjects that have a heavy impact on every America: politics and biology. While Moreno has known views on many of the subjects discussed the book, he does a remarkable job of dispassionately framing the debate and the positions held by various parties. While covering such topics as abortion, stem cell research, human cloning, transhumanism, and genetic screening, the author rarely states an opinion, other than the opinion that the various players often have a lot of common ground and that the debate isn’t as clear as left and right.
I was impressed by the substantial tie-in of history to the biopolitics debate described in this book. The author makes great references to American Founders such as Jefferson and Franklin, American Authors such as Poe, and various philosophers and scientists who have contributed to the debate throughout the years. He also seemed to have a good grasp of the biology, and discussed issues that are just now surfacing because of state-of-the-art biological research.
If nothing else, The Body Politic frames the debate and provides the reader with a lot of knowledge and insight into complex issues that humanity has never faced. I would gladly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the politics of biology in the 21st Century.
