Review of The New Eugenics
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Aslean Jones
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- Latest Review: The New Eugenics by Conrad B. Quintyn
Review of The New Eugenics
[Following is a volunteer review of "The New Eugenics" by Conrad B. Quintyn.]
The good, the bad, and the unknown consequences of genetic engineering are explored and exposed in the provocative nonfiction book The New Eugenics. The book itself is a powerhouse of thought-provoking information—acknowledging the undeniable benefits of 21st-century bio-nanotechnologies while simultaneously cautioning against the known and unknown dangers of using such technologies to genetically manipulate and potentially alter plant, animal, and human life as we know it in the name of medical and scientific advancement.
The New Eugenics is written in a cerebral style–-a feature of the book I both like and dislike. Its illuminating preface, its extensive use of scientific and biomedical terminology, and its incorporation of voluminous citations throughout the book appeal to the inner academician in me. As a novice, out-of-the field science enthusiast, I found my encounter with the technical jargon both intellectually stimulating and tantalizingly challenging. Every page of the book took me on a journey of discovery–-introducing me to specialized scientific terms, concepts, and practices I never knew existed. Vocabulary that includes terms like xenobiology, transgenics technology, and viral transduction forced me–in a good way–to make a quick dash for the glossary at the end of the book, and in some instances to do as Gen Zers do, ask Siri. Additionally, content throughout the book raised my moral awareness of 21st-century scientific discoveries, which, according to the author, have the potential to put humans in a position of playing God. Learning for the first time about controversial practices--such as CRISPR's gene editing capabilities, which allows medical scientists to literally change a human’s DNA, or the application of synthetic biology techniques, which can modify and perhaps someday create new living organisms--gave me pause.
While I find the content of the book illuminating, the author’s presentation of the material is somewhat lackluster, which actually dampened my inner joy as a bookworm when I first started reading it. All I wanted to do was to curl up with a well-written nonfiction book and bask in the eloquence of its words and phraseology and appreciate the smooth transition of sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into chapters. Unfortunately, in many instances, paragraph openings lack smooth transition words; paragraphs within the book’s chapters lack good transitional flow; and many of the chapters themselves lack the kind of cohesiveness that comes with good writing. In addition, the author relies a little too much on the use of lengthy direct quotations, making the book come across as a dissertation, except one that is a little too heavy on the literature review but not substantive enough on the implications of the research findings. In general, my five top criteria for what makes a good nonfiction book, regardless of its content or genre, are that the book should have a clear premise, should be relevant to today’s world, should be grammatically sound, should provide solid evidence to support the thesis, and should be presented structurally in a way that captures and maintains the reader’s attention. The New Eugenics meets all of the standards above, except the last one--which I view as critical to the value of any book. For this reason and the others noted above, I have decided to give the book a score of three out of five stars.
Despite its shortcomings, though, the book is well worth the read for anyone seeking to know more about the current and future impact of biomedical technology, nanotechnology, or bio-nanotechnology on life as it exists on planet Earth, at least as we know it now. It is clear the author knows his subject matter well and has provided substantial evidence from experts in the field to support his thesis. Without a doubt, anyone reading and finishing the book will have to ask themselves an important moral question: Does the risk of escalating the use of gene altering biomedical technologies–even for the greater good–outweigh the potential for harm that could ultimately destroy humanity?
******
The New Eugenics
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The good, the bad, and the unknown consequences of genetic engineering are explored and exposed in the provocative nonfiction book The New Eugenics. The book itself is a powerhouse of thought-provoking information—acknowledging the undeniable benefits of 21st-century bio-nanotechnologies while simultaneously cautioning against the known and unknown dangers of using such technologies to genetically manipulate and potentially alter plant, animal, and human life as we know it in the name of medical and scientific advancement.
The New Eugenics is written in a cerebral style–-a feature of the book I both like and dislike. Its illuminating preface, its extensive use of scientific and biomedical terminology, and its incorporation of voluminous citations throughout the book appeal to the inner academician in me. As a novice, out-of-the field science enthusiast, I found my encounter with the technical jargon both intellectually stimulating and tantalizingly challenging. Every page of the book took me on a journey of discovery–-introducing me to specialized scientific terms, concepts, and practices I never knew existed. Vocabulary that includes terms like xenobiology, transgenics technology, and viral transduction forced me–in a good way–to make a quick dash for the glossary at the end of the book, and in some instances to do as Gen Zers do, ask Siri. Additionally, content throughout the book raised my moral awareness of 21st-century scientific discoveries, which, according to the author, have the potential to put humans in a position of playing God. Learning for the first time about controversial practices--such as CRISPR's gene editing capabilities, which allows medical scientists to literally change a human’s DNA, or the application of synthetic biology techniques, which can modify and perhaps someday create new living organisms--gave me pause.
While I find the content of the book illuminating, the author’s presentation of the material is somewhat lackluster, which actually dampened my inner joy as a bookworm when I first started reading it. All I wanted to do was to curl up with a well-written nonfiction book and bask in the eloquence of its words and phraseology and appreciate the smooth transition of sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into chapters. Unfortunately, in many instances, paragraph openings lack smooth transition words; paragraphs within the book’s chapters lack good transitional flow; and many of the chapters themselves lack the kind of cohesiveness that comes with good writing. In addition, the author relies a little too much on the use of lengthy direct quotations, making the book come across as a dissertation, except one that is a little too heavy on the literature review but not substantive enough on the implications of the research findings. In general, my five top criteria for what makes a good nonfiction book, regardless of its content or genre, are that the book should have a clear premise, should be relevant to today’s world, should be grammatically sound, should provide solid evidence to support the thesis, and should be presented structurally in a way that captures and maintains the reader’s attention. The New Eugenics meets all of the standards above, except the last one--which I view as critical to the value of any book. For this reason and the others noted above, I have decided to give the book a score of three out of five stars.
Despite its shortcomings, though, the book is well worth the read for anyone seeking to know more about the current and future impact of biomedical technology, nanotechnology, or bio-nanotechnology on life as it exists on planet Earth, at least as we know it now. It is clear the author knows his subject matter well and has provided substantial evidence from experts in the field to support his thesis. Without a doubt, anyone reading and finishing the book will have to ask themselves an important moral question: Does the risk of escalating the use of gene altering biomedical technologies–even for the greater good–outweigh the potential for harm that could ultimately destroy humanity?
******
The New Eugenics
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The New Eugenics by Conrad B. Quintyn
