Vedanta & Biotechnology- Bioethical Perspectives

1) Author

Dr. T.D.Singh, Founder Director, Bhaktivedanta Institute

2) Brief Description about the book

Today, at the turn of the 21st century, genetic revolution has transformed
the nature of our biological research and it is opening a new and
unprecedented progress in various disciplines of life sciences. However,
while the transformative potential of biotechnology has acquired an
unbelievable eminence in biology and medicine, it has, perhaps, more
than any other area of scientific and technological research, raised some
of the most profound bioethical questions that humanity has ever faced.
With serious implications for our health, the environment, the future of
agriculture, the relationship between human societies and the rest of the
nature, and the meaning and purpose of life, these genetic technologies
have aroused worldwide attention. Fields such as stem research, cloning,
euthanasia, abortion, gene therapy and so on have already become the
subjects of heated public debate. Touching the latest biotechnologies from
cloning to highly debatable stem cell research, the author, Dr. T. D. Singh,
in this volume, summarizes the biotechnological revolutions, reviews
some of the important bioethical questions raised by them and seeks
possible guidance from Vedanta, the topmost scientific and philosophical
treatise of Indian spiritual and cultural heritage to help resolve some of
these issues. We hope these words by Dr. Singh, who himself witnessed
biotechnological revolution in the last few decades, will provide
stimulating insights into what has now become one of the most
extraordinarily revealing arena of our times.

Dr. T. D. Singh (His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara
Swami) has a unique background. He is a scientist with a
Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry from the University
of California, Irvine, USA, as well as a spiritualist in the
Bhakti-Vedanta tradition of India. He has authored and
edited a number of books on science and religion,
including his famous dialogue with Prof. Roger Penrose: Science,
Spirituality and the Nature of Reality. He is the Founder Director of the
Bhaktivedanta Institute and has been one of the pioneers in advancing the
dialogue between science and religion over the past three decades.

4) Topics Covered

Biotechnology, Stem Cell, Cloning, Euthanasia, Embryology, Vedanta