At the same time, there are
many social, ethical, legal, economic, and regulatory issues that
surround the introduction and utilization of the science and technologies
of modern biology. Until recently, politics, science as well as
the educational system could rely on the trust and confidence
that people collectively stored in or derived from the social
institutions. Today, in a variety of fields from politics to science
we witness an erosion of social trust. Trust be it in politics
or in science, cannot be any longer assumed in particular where
life sciences and the application of their achievements are concerned.
The successful introduction of new technologies or approaches
from genetically modified food to stem cell research now requires
explicit or implicit informed consent from major stakeholders
and publics. In short, the governance of life sciences has become
a key issue for the future development of the life sciences. |