Drawing Limits: contemporary views on biotechnology

Biotechnology deals with the stuff of life; living things can be changed and barriers between species broken down. Through biotechnology human beings are ‘playing god’ in ways that have not been possible before. This article discusses some findings of the Biocult project, which investigated the views of 956 young people on risk and safety in relation to biotechnology [1]. The article focuses on the responses of young people aged 11 to 18 to the statement ‘human beings can use science and technology to do what they want’ set in the context of answers to other questions on specific applications. Despite the emphasis on individual freedom of choice found in surveys of personal morality, most young people spontaneously brought in notions of limits and barriers to human action in the field of biotechnology. The ways these limits are justified are of interest as they uncover ethical thinking which may or may not be religious or spiritual.