Remaking
Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World
by Lee M. Silver
Reviews
Amazon.com
Life used to be so simple; you honored your
father and mother, you tried not to covet your neighbor's wife, and you
didn't kill anybody if you could help it - the rest took care of itself.
Increasingly, however, modern society is faced with ethical dilemmas that
founders of religion never imagined: with the successful cloning of a sheep,
the brave new world of biogenetics sprang onto the front pages and into
our consciousness. But even as doctors, legislators, and ethicists argue
over the rights and wrongs of bioengineering in relation to humans, Lee
M. Silver, author of Remaking Eden, warns that the genie is already
out of the bottle - and it's too late to put it back. Silver's book is
a fascinating collection of scenarios, from the deliberate production of
humans to serve as donors, to the selection of genetic qualities from a
"menu" to build designer children. What at first might seem like science
fiction soon proves to be based solidly in reality, as Silver points out
that the technology to perform even the most outlandish of his theoretical
scenarios is already in existence.
More disturbing than the possibilities of
black-market cloning or creating children from the tissue of aborted fetuses,
however, is Silver's basic premise that no matter what ethicists
or politicians decide, these techniques will go forward because people
will want them. Whether it's an infertile couple hoping to reproduce or
a terminally ill patient in desperate need of a transplant, human beings
will not let ethical questions stop their pursuits of health, longevity,
and even perfection.
Amazon.com
Aldous Huxley wrote Brave
New World in 1932, predicting a future of genetic control that
now lies within our technological grasp. "While Huxley guessed right about
the power we would gain over the process of reproduction, I think he was
dead wrong when it came to predicting who would use the power," says geneticist
Lee Silver. "It is individuals and couples who want to reproduce themselves
in their own images, who want their children to be happy and successful,
who will seize control of these new technologies." In Remaking Eden
Silver shows how close we are to human genetic engineering, and how strong
the forces are that are taking us there.
The New York Times Book Review, Paul Raeburn
No question is too speculative, remote or
absurd for Silver, a Princeton University biologist and geneticist who
teaches bioethics. He entertains even the wildest and most speculative
notions because - as he argues persuasively - the future is already here.
Booknews, Inc.
With current fertility technology producing
septuplets in humans and cloning techniques yielding media-genic sheep
like Dolly, Silver (molecular/evolutionary biology and neuroscience, Princeton
U.) leavens the ethical debates with cautious optimism over the directions
in which genetic engineering may be leading: parent "designer" selection
of their unborn's traits, enhancement of the human species, multiple parents,
even pregnant men. In this context, his discussion for general readers
on defining life becomes even more crucial.
Synopsis
In this fascinating and provocative postulation
on the near-future of genetic technologies, a distinguished scientist and
professor presents a powerful examination of the remarkable scientific
advances that will irrevocably change human life as we know it. Revealing
that human cloning is only the beginning, Lee M. Silver discloses the thrilling
yet frightening array of reprogenetic technologies that are virtually inevitable
Print ads. National media publicity (Science)
Customer Comments
A reader from New York,
NY, August 22, 1999
Banal, hackneyed, and arrogant
It doesn't take an undergraduate degree
in physics for us to predict the implications of the genetic revolution
as set out in this book. For a much more cogent and beautifully written
tract, I highly recommend Robert Pollack's Signs of Life: Exploring
the Language and Meanings of DNA.
Brittany Johnson (anglkissdute@hotmail.com)
from Salt Lake City, UT, March 18, 1999
Plausible Reprogenetics.
In Remaking Eden, Lee M. Silver takes his
readers into a very real future, compliments of "reprogenetics." The one
difference between Silver's book, and other science fiction books, is that
he gives plausible explanations of how the scenarios he presents can be
accomplished with today's technology. Remaking Eden is a book for those
who want an interesting look into a very possible future of the human race.
A reader from Berkeley,
California, January 28, 1999
Brave, wise, fascinating, fun
Few nationally-known experts these days
have the bravery to draw the inescapable but politically incorrect conclusion
about human cloning: It is inevitable. The current U.S. ban will only encourage
rogue states, corporations, and individuals to do it - they'd have a monopoly.
In the face of that, the U.S. will be forced to rescind its ban. This book
persuasively identifies what will likely occur as a result. I found reading
this book to be a fascinating and fun experience.
A reader from Sydney, Australia,
May 26, 1998
Mr Silver writes like he has blinders
on.
Mr Silver puts forward some interesting
possibilities, however, haven't we heard them all before? I also found
the book to make the broadest of generalizations and assumptions, and in
doing so, I believe Mr Silver's approach is somewhat close minded. He virtually
proposes 'it's only a matter of time', but what about the matter of choice?
The Roman Empire though it was 'only a matter of time' too. Might is not
always right. And neither is the majority, or the market. I also think
Mr Silver should take the time to correctly acknowledge authorship. e.g.
"the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey written by Arthur C. Clarke." The
film was also written by Stanley Kubrick. And while he's at it, he could
perhaps not misquote things. "I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
was not a response to a direct request for HAL to turn himself off.
meggie21@hotmail.com from
Alberta, Canada, March 4, 1998
What is cloning in the eyes of God?
Is cloning ethical, God says in the bible
it isn't I believe that if we start to clone people, we will have overpopulated
cities, town's and places. Who should be cloned, and who shouldn't? What
about in crimes, if you have 2 or more suspects, what are you going to
do? My personal opinions are that it is wrong. Another question, what about
the person's soul? What happens to it?
catm@earthlink.net from
San Francisco, CA, January 18, 1998
Thought-provoking, well-constructed,
fascinating.
I really like this book. The author goes
to great lengths to logically break down exactly what happens during the
fertilization cycle, and how the fetus comes into being. Then he painstakingly
discusses the ethical considerations.
There is far too much wildly emotional prose
out there on this topic. Sometimes it seems like the commie-bashing of
the 90's! This author gives a firm, logical foundation for some very rational,
ethical choices and possibilities that loom in the future for all of us.
I think his best quote is that " what makes
man special resides between his ears. We are fools if we don't know that."
I agree. The futuristic scenarios are very interesting, and have made me
realize that cloning will occur in the future and hey -- so what? :-)
lescfls@msn.com from Los
Angeles, California, November 30, 1997
Who is a parent? What control should prospective
parents have over the genetic characteristics of their children? What impact
will expanded reproductive choices have on human societies?
"Remaking Eden" explains the science
of assisted human reproduction with extraordinary clarity. He brings this
same penetrating clarity to the ethical, social and psychological issues
raised by scientific advances. Having just filed an appellate brief in
a gestational surrogacy case, I was fascinated by this book. Read together
with Janet L. Dolgin, "Defining the Family," it should be of great help
to professionals, as well as those intrigued by issues of surrogacy, genetic
engineering, etc.
Silver distinguishes between human "life
in general" (any cell) and "special life" (consciousness, requiring at
minimum, a developed central nervous system. That distinction informs his
discussion of the ethical issues presented by forms of assisted reproduction,
including surrogacy, cloning, creation of children with two genetic parents
of the same sex, and selection of particular genetic traits.
By weaving hypothetical and real stories
of families into his analysis, Silver helps the reader think through the
"what if's" and incorporate these new realities into her world view.
Leslie Ellen Shear
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