Twenty-one philosophers investigate the implications of the Jurassic Park franchise for our lives, our values, and our future. Human beings live and thrive by modifying nature, but when do the risks of changing nature outweigh the likely benefits? If it's true that ""Life will find a way,"" should we view any modified or newly reconstituted life as a hazard? The new scientific information we could gain by bringing back T. Rex or other dinosaurs is immense, but should we choose to let sleeping dinosaurs lie? And if we do bring them back by reconstituting them from ancient DNA, are they really what they were, or is something missing? How do the different forces - human curiosity, profitability, and philanthropy - interact to determine what actually happens in such cases? What moral standards should be applied to those who try to bring back lost worlds? The idea of bringing back the dead and the powerful is not limited to biological species. It also applies to bringing back old gods, old philosophies, old institutions, and old myths. If revived and once again let loose to walk the Earth, these too may turn out to be more dangerous than we bargained for.
Edited by:
Nicolas Michaud,
Jessica Watkins
Imprint: Open Court Publishing Co ,U.S.
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 82
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 411g
ISBN: 9780812698473
ISBN 10: 0812698479
Series: Popular Culture and Philosophy
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 15 July 2014
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Life Finds a Way I. Conceptualizing the Impossible 1. Don't Be Afraid of the Paradox Rex Michael Muniz 2. The Manchurian Compsognathus Timothy Sexton 3. Genes and Memes: Evolution and Engineering in Jurassic Park Brendan Shea 4. Skepticism and the Dream of Jurassic Park Daniel Wanless II. Generating the Impossible 5. Dino-Souls: A Dialogue on the Ethics of Animal Cloning Nathan Verbann and Adam Barkman 6. Rape of the Natural World"": Yes, We Can; But, Should We? Christian Cotton 7. All the Dinosaurs Are Dead and Gone: Plato, Darwin and the Problem of De-Extinction Evan Edwards 8. Reconstructing the Past in a Petri Dish David Freeman 9. Let the Raptors Run Greg Littmann III. Acting on the Impossible 10. Wiggin' Out in Wittgenstein's World Skyler King 11. Saving Your Skin: How to Treat Dinosaurs Roger Hunt 12. 'If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed?' Velociraptor Rights John V. Karavitis 13. Hammond's Backup Plan: Monkeywrenching and Dino-Liberation in The Lost World: Jurassic Park Seth M. Walker IV. The Appearance of Error 14. An Alien Consciousness Christopher Ketcham 15. Descent into Chaos David Morgan 16. The Crisis of Fake Dinosaurs Brandon Kempner 17. Do Dinosaurs Dream of Electric Fences? Rick Stoody V. The Collapse of the System 18. Biting a Chunk Out of Aristotle Daniel Kokotz 19. You Can't Just Suppress Sixty-five Million Years of Gut Instinct, but Can We Suppress the Last Five Hundred Years' Worth? Trip McCrossin 20. How a Tyrannosaurus Swallowed My Pride Michael D. Stark and A.G. Holdier 21. Tyrannosaurus Kant Tim Jones Author Bios Index"
Nicolas Michaud is an assistant professor of philosophy at Florida State College, Jacksonville, and the editor of Frankenstein and Philosophy. Jessica Watkins is a contributor to Ender's Game and Philosophy. Both live in Jacksonville, FL.
