Synthetic Biology Journal

   

Rethinking synthetic biology in the anthropocene

Xinghua TANG1, Qianneng LU2, Yilin HU3   

  1. 1.School of Marxism,China University of Geosciences,Beijing 100083,China
    2.School of Marxism,University of Electronic Science and Technology of China,Chengdu 611731,Sichuan,China
    3.Department of the History of Science,Tsinghua University,Beijing 100083,China
  • Received:2024-04-28 Published:2024-09-27
  • Contact: Yilin HU

人类世中反思合成生物学

唐兴华1, 陆钱能2, 胡翌霖3   

  1. 1.中国地质大学(北京)马克思主义学院,北京 100083
    2.电子科技大学马克思主义学院,四川 成都 611731
    3.清华大学人文学院科学史系,北京 100084
  • 通讯作者: 胡翌霖
  • 作者简介:唐兴华(1992—),女,山东烟台人,讲师。研究方向为技术哲学、科学技术与社会。
    胡翌霖(1985—),男,上海人,副教授。研究方向为技术哲学、技术史。
  • 基金资助:
    国家重点研发计划项目“合成生物学伦理、政策法规框架研究”(2018YFA0902400)

Abstract:

Synthetic biology, as a science transforming the life sciences in the 21st century, embodies interdisciplinary nature, breaking boundaries, emphasizing human roles, and shaping our way of living through technology, presenting common challenges in the Anthropocene era we live in.As a technology of the Anthropocene, synthetic biology blurs the line between nature and artificiality, merging the two and demonstrating the profound impact of technology on life itself. Synthetic life not only obscures the boundary between nature and artificiality but also transcends traditional disciplinary divisions, becoming an research object across various fields, thereby promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and integration. In this process, the openness of synthetic life and the generative nature of synthetic biology determine its future-oriented characteristics, altering the direction of technological research in the Anthropocene. Finally, the "big questions" and "small questions" that the philosophy of technology concerns about are unified in synthetic biology. Synthetic biology encompasses both general issues and its specific developments and applications. In summary, philosophical reflections on synthetic biology as a technological form in the Anthropocene contribute to a deeper understanding of synthetic biology within a new theoretical framework.

Key words: anthropocene, synthetic biology, nature and artificiality, interdisciplinary, future-oriented, "big questions" and "small questions"

摘要:

合成生物学作为21世纪改变生命领域的科学,其所具有的跨学科性、打破人工与自然的界限、强调人的作用和技术对我们生存方式的塑造等,是我们所处的人类世时代所面临的共同挑战。首先,作为顺应人类世呼声的合成生物学,打破自然与人工界限,实现二者融合,在更深层的“生命”领域体现了技术对我们的塑造。其次,合成生命打破传统意义上的学科划分,成为不同学科的研究对象,促使多学科交叉和融合,而合成生命具有的开放性和合成生物学发展的生成性,则决定了合成生物学面向未来的特性,改变了人类世中技术研究的方向。最后,技术哲学所关注的“大问题”和“小问题”在合成生物学这里实现了统一。合成生物学既有“大问题”也有“小问题”,对合成生物学的研究既要关注一般性的大问题,又要关注其在具体领域中发展和应用的小问题。总之,合成生物学作为人类世中的技术形态,对其涵义和特征进行哲学反思,有助于从新的理论范式下理解合成生物学。

关键词: 人类世, 合成生物学, 自然与人工, 学科交叉, 面向未来, “大问题”与“小问题”

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