In The Body Politic, Jonathan D. Moreno elucidates the cultural, political and societal underpinnings of biotechnology by tracing its history from early America to the present culture wars of the "new biology." The book considers the intersection of society and biotechnology in areas such as embryonic stem cell research, reproductive cloning, and synthetic biology, and demonstrates how biology and society have shaped each other into modern-day biopolitics.

Biopolitics, defined in the book as the way society attempts to gain control of and reconcile the power of the life sciences, has become, for better or worse, an integral part of scientific progress—especially as scientific advances raise new moral questions and push the boundaries of nature farther than ever before.  Moreno explains the historical, social, and political forces that dictate the direction of biopolitical discourse, and shows that the motivations and concerns held by all players involved are often more similar than they are different.  Much is at stake in biopolitics, but it is possible to at once uphold morality and human dignity while pursuing the path of scientific progress.

Jonathan D. Moreno served on President Obama’s transition team and has been a senior staff member for three presidential advisory commissions and on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bioethics Advisory Board for the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative. Author and editor of many seminal books and articles on science and science policy (including Science Next, edited with Rick Weiss, and Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense), he is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the editor-in-chief for the Center for American Progress’ online magazine, Science Progress. He divides his time between Philadelphia and Washington, DC. For more information, visit his web site at www.jonathandmoreno.com/

"The Body Politic is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the history of American political thought about science, the dynamics of current controversies such as the stem cell debate, and the battle between those who see science as the route to a better future and those who see within the science the potential for a loss of our sense of human distinctiveness and dignity."

—Paul Root Wolpe, Ph.D., Director, Center for Ethics, Emory University & Chief of Bioethics for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

"A wonderful resource for teachers . . . The Body Politic is ideally suited for use in high school electives administered not only by science departments, but by history and social studies departments as well. Moreno’s book, more than any other I have seen, carefully considers the social, political, and historical context in which bioethical debates take place. The second chapter, "Science in America," connects nicely with many of the themes high school students have encountered in their U.S. history classes. I can’t think of a better text for introducing students to the complex interplay of religious, economic, political, ethical, and scientific concerns that swirl around issues such as genetic engineering and stem cell research."

—Craig B. Merow, Germantown Academy