How do the most recent developments in the life sciences affect our understanding of what it is to be Human? In March 2004 in Genoa, under the auspices of the European Group on Life Sciences, this question was debated by leading figures in science, in philosophy, in the arts, from all over Europe.
How modern biology might impact on notions such as progress, with its metaphysical element, on democracy, in a political context, was considered; the dangers of reductionism were debated, and time was made to consider the interactions between science itself and science fiction. This book brings together the speeches of fourteen of the participants, with a preface written by Philippe Busquin, European Commissioner for Research.