Abstract

The extent to which machine metaphors are used in synthetic biology is striking. These metaphors contain a specific perspective on organisms as well as on scientific and technological progress. Expressions such as “genetically engineered machine”, “genetic circuit”, and “platform organism”, taken from the realms of electronic engineering, car manufacturing, and information technology, highlight specific aspects of the functioning of living beings while at the same time hiding others, such as evolutionary change and interdependencies in ecosystems. Since these latter aspects are relevant for, for example, risk evaluation of uncontained uses of synthetic organisms, it is ethically imperative to resist the thrust of machine metaphors in this respect. In addition, from the perspective of the machine metaphor viewing an entity as a moral agent or patient becomes dubious. If one were to regard living beings, including humans, as machines, it becomes difficult to justify ascriptions of moral status. Finally, the machine metaphor reinforces beliefs in the potential of synthetic biology to play a decisive role in solving societal problems, and downplays the role of alternative technological, and social and political measures.

中文翻译：

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合成生物学中的机器隐喻和伦理

 抽象的

机器隐喻在合成生物学中的应用程度是惊人的。这些隐喻包含了对生物体以及科学技术进步的特定视角。 “基因工程机器”、“基因电路”和“平台有机体”等表达方式取自电子工程、汽车制造和信息技术领域，突出了生物功能的具体方面，同时隐藏了生物体功能的具体方面。其他，例如进化变化和生态系统的相互依赖性。由于后面这些方面与合成生物体的非封闭用途的风险评估相关，因此从伦理上讲，抵制机器隐喻在这方面的推力是必要的。此外，从机器隐喻的角度来看，将实体视为道德主体或患者变得可疑。如果人们将包括人类在内的生物视为机器，那么就很难证明道德地位的归属是合理的。最后，机器隐喻强化了人们对合成生物学在解决社会问题中发挥决定性作用的潜力的信念，并淡化了替代技术、社会和政治措施的作用。