Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-30]: A recent recommendation by the General Prosecutor of Justice of the European Court of Justice, Mr Yves Bot says that all patents on technologies related to embryonic stem cells (i.e. stem cells that we take from embryos we destroy and not stem cells that we take from, example, the placenta) should be banned on moral grounds. The Prosecutor noted in his presentation made on March 10 that given that the taking of embryonic stem cells requires destroying embryos, this process violates the 1998 European directive on patents which states that you may not use human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes. Scientists complain about this development, in a letter sent by their representatives to the prestigious journal Nature. One of the signatories of the letter is Professor Austin Smith of the Center for Research on Stem Cells of the Wellcome Trust in Cambridge. The professor said that "it would be fatal to the Court to follow the recommendation of the prosecutor. It threatens the future of biomedical research in Europe and some programs will collapse. Such a decision would also send the message that scientists are involved in immoral activities, which is very negative because it had an impact on the trust the public has the work of scientists" (!!!) [source: BBC News, In.gr news]. Science, as the modern religion requires the vindication of the doctrine. Nobody is allowed to doubt it and - especially - to diminish the dignity of its advocates in the eyes of believers. Modern priests of science are clear: destroying (sacrificing) some embryos may not be a reason for the depreciation of science. Science is "axiomatically" moral !!!!! And the scientists who made the atomic bomb is also known that they knew what they were doing - they really thought at that time that they were doing something "moral" for the good of the world (except for Japan and several thousand women and children who died in the process)... Respect is earned, not imposed. If science wants to continue to be cold and not include the concept of humans anywhere in its mechanistic equations it is free to do so. But when it starts killing (with patents, weapons, atomic bombs, equations that increase profit without giving importance to human happiness, etc.), then people will and should resist. Research must continue, but science must redefined itself in terms of morality. Scientists cannot be as moral as they like when it suits them and then simply demand respect. If they do not show respect to people's concerns then people will not show them respect as well...
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