Abstract
Throughout history, shamans and soothsayers, astrologers and oracles, wizards and witches have read, assessed, and thereby tried to tame the future. In the millennial fervor of the end of the 20th century, we are virtually flooded with predictions—from futurists, publicists, scientists, and especially these days, geneticists, as their discoveries are enhancing the ability to predict future health and disease. The tests emerging from the science of genetics can detect inner biological conditions that are predictive of possible future diseases in people who are currently healthy, expressing no symptoms.1 Such tests can identify predisposition not only to Mendelian disorders such as Huntingdon’s Disease or Cystic Fibrosis, but also to a growing number of common and complex conditions including various forms of breast and colon cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the concept of genetic predisposition is often extended—especially in popular culture—to the explanation and anticipation of a growing range of behavioral characteristics and personality traits.
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Nelkin, D. (2001). Genetic Predisposition and the Politics of Prediction. In: Galston, A.W., Shurr, E.G. (eds) New Dimensions in Bioethics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1591-3_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1591-3_4
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