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What do the t-shirt you are wearing and the corn chips ate for lunch have in common? They were both, quite probably, produced from GM crops.
GM crops are widespread in today's modern agriculture. In 2005, 8.5 million farmers planted GM crops worldwide on 222 million acres. In the US, about 45% of the corn and 75% of the cotton produced in 2005 were GM varieties.
Despite their widespread use, important questions remain: Are GM crops safe? Will they ultimately benefit or harm the environment? While no one can answer these questions with absolute certainty, we can frame various arguments for and against GM technology in terms of epistemological foundations.
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that considers the nature, origin and scope of knowledge. The core of epistemology is how knowledge relates to truth and belief. The table below summarizes the basic epistemological foundations and uses these to formulate arguments for and against GM crops.
Epistemology |
Argument for GM crops |
Argument against GM crops |
Voluntarism
Your heart is the path to knowing; voluntarily corresponding your will to that of authority figure(s)/mentor(s).
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The USDA, FDA, and EPA have kept our environment and food supply safe for a long time. These agencies exist to protect the public interest. They say that GM crops are safe. I take their word for it.
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Groups like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club put people and the environment first. They say GM crops are potentially dangerous to the environment and to humans. I believe them.
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Rationalism
Your mind is the path to knowing; using logic and general theories to deductively flow down to specific truths.
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Farm chemicals can damage surrounding environments. Tilling creates soil erosion. GM crops can replace or reduce these harmful practices. Therefore, I conclude GM crops are environmentally friendly.
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GM crops contain novel genes and so are new species. Novel species can have (unforeseen) negative impacts on complex ecosystems. Therefore, I conclude GM crops are not safe.
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Empiricism
Your senses are the path to knowing; observing specific events to inductively travel up to general conclusions.
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After 10 years of use, there is no evidence of environmental harm from GM crops. No human has ever gotten sick from eating GM foods. From these observations I conclude that, in general, GM crops are safe.
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A study found monarch butterflies died when fed pollen from GM corn. Another showed some Bt proteins are not easily broken down by human digestive processes (potential allergen). From these specific events I conclude that, in general, GM crops are not safe.
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 Check out some selected readings on bioethics...
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