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will refer to as environmental biocentrism, and is indebted to the wild-
ness narrative discussed in the previous chapter. This group opposes the
application of biotechnology to human beings, most genetic technolo-
gies, and genetically altered foods.
A third group, one that is enthusiastic about responsible biotechnol-
ogy, holds to Christian theism. This group strongly supports technol-
ogy that alleviates the effects of the entrance of sin into the world (e.g.,
disease and physical deterioration), but it has concerns about violations
of human dignity when it comes to biotechnological enhancement or
more radical notions of remaking human nature. This book is about
articulating and applying this type of Christian worldview to biotech-
nology. Such a view of the world will have a good deal in common with
other religious worldviews, such as Judaism and perhaps even Islam.
This chapter introduces the key elements of a Christian worldview
and argues that it is the only worldview with the resources adequate for
Biotechnology and Competing Worldviews 35
grounding human dignity and ensuring that biotechnology develops
within proper parameters. We focus our scrutiny on the major player in
biotechnology, the prevailing philosophical naturalism of the scientific/
technological community, and hold up beside it a fuller alternative
worldview grounded in Christian theism.
Defining a Worldview
Everyone has a worldview, whether one realizes it or not; or whether it
is well considered or not. A worldview is a set of beliefs or assumptions
through which one sees and evaluates the world. It is a set of fundamen-
tal commitments that a person has about the world and the way it
works. Every worldview must answer a set of critical questions, includ-
ing the following:9
1. What is the nature of reality, especially what is ultimate reality?
(These are questions of metaphysics.)
2. How can we know the world? That is, what do we know and
how do we know what we know? (These are questions of
epistemology.)
3. What is human nature, or what is a human being? (These are
questions of anthropology.)
4. What is right and wrong and on what basis do you make moral
decisions? (These are questions of ethics and morality.)
5. What happens to a person at death?
6. Where is history going, or what is your view of history?
How one answers these questions determines one s worldview. Of
course, not everyone has a well-thought-out view of the world, nor
does everyone have a worldview that is entirely consistent. Most people
have simply not thought that much about how they view the world. In
our culture, it seems that thinking through one s worldview is not
highly valued. But for the Christian, who is called to love God with
all your mind (Matt. 22:37) and to be ready to present a defense for
36 CHAPTER THREE
the hope within you (1 Pet. 3:15), thinking hard about your world-
view is a critical component of your relationship with God and your
effectiveness as an agent of cultural change.
The Worldview of Philosophical Naturalism
There is little doubt that in the academic world, and especially in the
world of the sciences, the dominant worldview is philosophical natural-
ism, or scientific materialism. That is not to say that there are not theists
among scientists. Clearly that is not true, because many scientists have
a real and vibrant faith. But for many believers in the sciences, their
faith is a private matter and has little impact on their work in science.
For some, their faith has an impact on their work and how they view
it. But the vast majority of the scientific community has embraced the
worldview of naturalism, with all that it implies for their work.
What is meant by the term philosophical naturalism? What are the
components of such a worldview? Essentially, it means that all reality is
subsumed in the material world alone that is, what can be appraised
by one s senses and what can be empirically measured and verified.
There is no ultimate reality beyond this material/physical world. In
terms of metaphysics, there is nothing that is meta or beyond the
physical world. To put it another way, the universe that exists in space
and time, which consists of physical objects, physical properties, events,
and process, is all there is, ever was, and ever will be. As a result, there
is no room for immaterial human components that cannot ultimately
be reduced to physical or material substances. For example, conscious-
ness and self-awareness must be capable of being reduced to the neuro-
logical components in the brain or the behavior of the body. There is
no room for spiritual and nonmaterial notions such as the soul and the
image of God.
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