On Saturday, May 5, 2012 9:43:54 AM UTC-7, Jason Bobe wrote:
Is public fear rooted in the idea that synthetic biology is categorically different from genetic engineering (i.e. what we've been doing for decades already)?
Public fear of synthetic biology has more to do with the word "synthetic". Reference the focus groups done about 3 yrs ago where general, uneducated public described the feeling of the word as "fake, sterile, artificial, not natural". If the word were softer, i.e. "synthesis biology", the public might be perfectly happy with it. (Similar to public outrage against unhealthy beef products only occurring recently due to semantics of 'pink slime'.) If the phrase were "genesis biology" I'd imagine the bible thumpers would burn pitchforks outside our labs - purely based on emotional reaction to the words. Fear is an emotional reaction after all.
There are many other technologies that we use on a daily basis that are comparatively lethal (automobiles, pharmaceuticals, etc) and generally accepted.
Those technologies are not possibly contagious. Or "against god's will."
## Jonathan Cline
## jcline@ieee.org
## Mobile: +1-805-617-0223
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