Democracy
& Nature, Vol. 5,
No. 3
The
"democratic" separation of technology and ethics
―
The
case of the Flemish regulation of genetic engineering
[1]
Dirk Holemans
Abstract:
In
most industrialised countries, technology policy nowadays includes public
participation. Borrowing the concept ‘repressive tolerance’ of Marcuse, it
can be argued that this participation is far removed from real democratic
control. The argument is sustained by an analysis of the biotechnology policy of
Flanders, one of the high tech regions of the European Union. To do so, it is
however important to look at the history of the regulation of genetic
engineering. From the beginning, the scientific establishment followed by
government decided that public involvement would be accepted but carefully
controlled. Crucial in controlling public involvement was the reduction of the
broad public debate into a technical discussion on safety issues. The European
legislation is in tune with this aim. And the Flemish case makes clear how
public participation and critical research are contained and reduced to mere
strategic policy tools.
Back