GMOs and Feeding the World

“The controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms has real importance for society, there are complex scientific and logical issues to sort through, and the topic is rife with misinformation and motivated reasoning……” -Dr. Novella, academic neurologist; Yale University School of Medicine

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608026666306896369&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0 http://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/comoro-crops-new-economy-food-foreign-aid-dependency-borgen-project.jpg

Objectives:

1. Journey around the world and explore the use of GMOs and their application for feeding the world.….

2. Defend your belief on the following: Are GMOs a good thing for society or are we heading into dangerous territory in their use?

Directions: Please respond with a different color of ink and include your original questions.

1. You will be asked to review the background information I have provided and visit the various articles and videos for each question.

2. You will then respond to the questions following the attached websites.

3. Finally, you will be asked to find alternate evidence and defend YOUR views on the issue.

4. Total point value: 70 points

What are the ethical concerns regarding GMOs in the food industry?

Remember, the first step in ethical problem solving and policy decision making involves ascertaining the facts . Facts by themselves, however, only tell us what is; they do not tell us what ought to be. Resolving an ethical issue also requires an appeal to values. Before tackling the GMO debate, let’s review the five different approaches philosophers have developed to deal with moral issues. (use these in defending your views for GMOs on the final question)

1. Utilitarian Approach: What benefits and what harms will each course of action produce, and which alternative will lead to the best overall consequences?

2. Rights Approach: What moral rights do the affected parties have, and which course of action best respects those rights?

3. Fairness or Justice Approach: Which course of action treats everyone the same, except where there is a morally justifiable reason not to, and does not show favoritism or discrimination?

4. Common Good Approach: Which course of action advances the common good?

5. Virtue Approach: Which course of action develops moral virtues?

(1) The GMO Controversy:

Article #1: http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-gmo-controversy/

Leading Environmental Activist’s Blunt Confession: I Was Completely …

“GMO critics despise corporate control and greed, and fear the unnatural, while GMO advocates see this technology as an example of the triumph of human ingenuity and science”

“God (Nature in my view) makes all things good; man meddles with them and they become evil…” “? Jean-Jacques Rousseau; philosopher, 1770

15 points; each question is worth 1 point, unless otherwise noted – all T/F .5 point-

1. Beliefs concerning GMOs tend to be dominated by two opposing narratives: What are they?

2. GMO advocates point out that pretty much all food that is consumed by humans has already been extensively modified by human activity. (True or False?)

3. What was corn cultivated from? (.5 point)

4. Cultivation uses a combination of what two basic processes to create countless varieties of common plants?

5. What is artificial selection? (.5 point)

6. What is cross pollination? (.5 point)

7. Orange carrots are not the result of a mutation (True or False?)

8. What is mutation breeding?

9. How many mutagenic plant varietals were released between 1930 and 2007? (.5 point)the instructions are attached.

there is a ted talk that is required, this is the link