On Cloning: (Thinking in Action)

Cloning: few words have as much potential to grip our imagination or grab the headlines. No longer the stuff of science fiction or Star Wars - it is happening now. Yet human cloning is currently banned throughout the world, and therapeutic cloning banned in many countries. In this highly controversial book, John Harris does a lot more than ask why we are so afraid of cloning. He presents a deft and informed defence of human cloning, carefully exposing the rhetorical and highly dubious arguments against it. He begins with a welcome introduction to what a human clone is, before tackling some of the most common and frequently bizarre criticisms of cloning: Is it really wicked? Can we regulate it? What about the welfare of cloned children? Does it turn human beings into commodities? Dismissing one by one some of the myths about human cloning, in particular that it is degrading and unsafe, he astutely argues that some of our most cherished values, such as the freedom to start a family and the freedom from state control, actually support the case for human cloning. Offering a brave and lucid insight into this ethical minefield, John Harris at last shows that far from ending the diversity of human life or creating a race of super-clones, cloning has the power to improve and heal human life.

Table of Contents:
Preface, Acknowledgements, On Cloning: An Introduction One, Human Dignity and Reproductive Autonomy Two, The Welfare of the Child Three, Safety and Danger Four, Therapeutic Cloning and Stem Cell Research and Therapy Five, Conclusion Six, Notes, Bibliography, Index

Review :
'This much-needed book constitutes a magisterial demolition of woolly headed objections to cloning...With the rigorous applications of cold, hard logic Harris dismantles every objection that has been raised in the process...' - Steven Poole, The Guardian 'His arguments are lucid and irrefutable.' - Laurence Phelan, The Independent 'Whether one agrees or disagrees with Harris's arguments, this is a wonderful book. The arguments for and against human cloning are presented and confronted in a straightforward and unassuming, yet never in an over-simplifying or distorted manner. Clear, accessible and entertaining, this book makes excellent teaching and thinking material - and, perhaps unique in a serious bioethical work of this nature, is enjoyable reading not just for philosophers.' - The Cambridge Law Journal 'This much-needed book constitutes a magisterial demolition of woolly headed objections to cloning...With the rigorous applications of cold, hard logic Harris dismantles every objection that has been raised in the process...' - Steven Poole, The Guardian 'His arguments are lucid and irrefutable.' - Laurence Phelan, The Independent