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Harvey S. James, Jr. (ed.): Ethical tensions from new technology: the case of agricultural biotechnology CAB International, Boston, Massachusetts, 2018, 184 pp, ISBN 978-1-78639-464-4 Sonja Lindberg1  Accepted: 9 June 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020

Almost 25 years after the first genetically modified (GM) crops entered commodity markets, agricultural biotechnologies and resulting plants and animals remain highly contentious issues within and between societies. Edited by Dr. Harvey James, Jr., Ethical Tensions from New Technology: The Case of Agricultural Biotechnology offers insights into why GM debates—which are rooted in ethical tensions— exist and persist. It is a 12-chapter compilation of separate studies and essays on controversies around GM foods and crops. In the introduction, James defines an ethical tension as “when [a] technology creates a conflict of interests, values, or rights” (p. 1). Within the chapters, scholars from social science and humanities disciplines—such as agricultural economics, science communication, philosophy, and policy studies—use this organizing theme to interrogate the strong beliefs held by social actors (e.g. scientists, politicians, nations, organizations, and publics) about the place of GM foods and crops in societies and food systems. The book does more than offer a glimpse into some of the ethical tensions associated with agricultural biotechnologies in different locations, such as the United States, EU, and Australia. James argues that the broader goal is to teach readers how to identify and predict ethical tensions resulting from new technologies in general, an important step in understanding and mitigating challenges with emergent technologies. Through the scope of “ethical tension” studies, the book successfully achieves that aim. It can help readers to see the social dimensions of other new technologies through fresh lenses.

* Sonja Lindberg [email protected] 1



Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, East Hall #308, Ames, IA 50011, USA

The first section engages with conflicts linked to public opinions and interests. In Chapter 1, Kolodinksi draws on a science communication ethics framework to contend that a “science alone” approach to communicating GM food risks and benefits is inherently problematic: such approach fails to account for important consumer concerns beyond the scientific safety of the products. In Chapter 2, Jones analyzes the “March Against Monsanto” and “Occupy the Farm” social movements, arguing that public and political resistance against agricultural biotechnologies are progressing and increasingly focused on non-scientific principles. Next, Aerni’s chapter critiques narratives opposing GMOs, claiming that “common weal rhetoric” and usage of the term “GMO” are abused to advance private agendas. In Chapter 4, Ankeny et al. draw on three case studies to evaluate GM public-private funding and research partnerships in Australia to determine if the beneficiaries are private corporations or the public. The next section focuses on tensions a