Author Description

Society Has Long Been Fascinated With Mixes Of Humans And Animals, And Scientists Have Recently Developed Human-animal Neuro-chimeras, Which Are Animals With Some Component Of A Human Brain. Society Has Also Been Fascinated By The Brain In The Vat, And Now Scientists Have Developed Human Brain Organoids, Which Are Small Parts Of A Human Brain In A Dish Grown From Cells From A Person's Body. The General Reaction To These Technologies Is Shock Or Disgust, And This Book Closely Examines The Public's Response To These Technologies. The Public Tends To Believe In A Foundational Distinction Between Humans And Animals, And The Neuro-chimera Violates This Distinction, Resulting In Opposition. Similarly, The Public Tends To Believe That Disembodied Human Parts Are Not Totally Separate From The Original Human, And Therefore A Brain Organoid In A Dish Retains The Essence Of The Person From Whom The Cells Originate. This Too Results In Greater Concern About The Human Brain Organoid. The Book Also Examines More General Attitudes Toward Biotechnology That Also Impact The Public's Views Of Neuro-chimeras And Organoids. The Book Concludes With A Discussion Of How To Set A Public Policy So That Limits On These Technologies Are Possible - Allowing The Development Of The Technologies For Medical Research But Stopping The Technologies From Reaching The Public's Dystopia Of The Very Human Animal Or The Organoid That Is Perceived As Actually A Part Of Another Human