Altering Nature ─ Religion, Biotechnology, and Public Policy

The introduction situates specific religious and policy discussions of four broad areas of biotechnology within the context of the broader conversation on concepts of nature set forth in Volume One. Our introductory overview reviews key aspects of recent religious and ethical discussions of four areas: biotechnology and assisted reproduction, biotechnology and genetic enhancement, biotechnology and human-machine incorporation, and biotechnology and biodiversity. It also draws links between those various discussions in light of a number of theological themes and casuistical emphases. The introduction also reviews the four "policy" chapters, each linked to the conceptual chapter written on the same area of biotechnology, and suggests the ways that policy choices in these areas may be illumined by more focused attention on religious perspectives.