转基因技术的伦理问题

An Ethical Reflection on Transgenic Technology

转基因技术会带来健康与环境风险,人们需要对这种风险进行评估。对风险的评估包含着伦理和价值因素。本文从道义论与后果论两个角度,具体梳理和分析了围绕转基因技术的伦理争论所涉及的伦理原则与价值取向,认为关于转基因技术的民主决策应当充分考虑到不同利益主体的合理诉求,并把预防原则作为制定转基因技术决策的指导原则。本文认为,相对于专家决策机制而言,民主决策机制的成本可能比较高,但这是生活于风险社会的现代人不得不付出的"代价"。

Transgenic technology will bring health and environmental risks, which require people’s assessment. The assessment includes two factors： ethics and values. From the perspectives ethics theory and consequences theory, this paper summarizes and analyzes the ethical principles and values involved in transgenic technology and argues that the policy-making concerning transgenic technology must base on deliberative democracy and be guided by precautionary principle. The relatively high costs of democratic policy-making, compared with that of experts policy-making, is the ＂price＂ modern people in the risky society have to pay.