Steve Talbott – författare

The Human Genome Project announced in 2003 that it had successfully mapped the human DNA. Scientists, politicians, theologians, and pundits speculated what would follow. Beyond Biotechnology: The Barren Promise of Genetic Engineering distinguishes between hype and reality, examining the delicate relationship between science and nature. Authors Craig Holdrege and Steve Talbott evaluate the current state of genetic science and examine its potential applications, as well as possible dangers. The authors illustrate how the popular view of genetics does not include an understanding of how genes work together within organisms, contending that these simplistic views lead to unrealistic expectations and, ultimately, disappointment. Written for lay readers, it is an accessible introduction to the complex world of genetic engineering.

"Self-forgetfulness is the reigning temptation of the technological era. This is why we so readily give our assent to the absurd proposition that a computer can add two plus two, despite the obvious fact that it can do nothing of the sort--not if we have in mind anything remotely resembling what we do when we add numbers. In the computer's case, the mechanics of addition involve no motivation, no consciousness of the task, no mobilization of the will, no metabolic activity, no imagination. And its performance brings neither the satisfaction of accomplishment nor the strengthening of practical skills and cognitive capacities." In this insightful book, author Steve Talbott, software programmer and technical writer turned researcher and editor for The Nature Institute, challenges us to step back and take an objective look at the technology driving our lives. At a time when 65 percent of American consumers spend more time with their PCs than they do with their significant others, according to a recent study, Talbott illustrates that we're forgetting one important thing--our Selves, the human spirit from which technology stems. Whether we're surrendering intimate details to yet another database, eschewing our physical communities for online social networks, or calculating our net worth, we freely give our power over to technology until, he says, "we arrive at a computer's-eye view of the entire world of industry, commerce, and society at large...an ever more