The second edition of the seminar develops the discussions begun on December 1993, taking as its starting point the issues and goals highlighted by the Nobel Laureates who participated in the two-day debate.
The general framework remains that of the relationship between scientific progress, economic development and the emerging ethical issues associated with such change. The participants have been asked to reflect upon the intrinsic cultural value of science and on the need for the general public to play a more active role in setting the goals and ethical limits of research and its applications, with a view to overcoming conflict and strengthening international cooperation. This scenario can not ignore the strategic importance of education nor training and the impact of changes wrought by innovation in the world of production and work.
The Ethical Implications of the Human Genome Project
Wednesday 7 December 1994
The Human Genome Project, the massive, multi-national project to work out the genetic instructions carried by the 23 pairs of human chromosomes, is scheduled to be completed within the next 10-15 years. When finished, it will represent one of the greatest achievements of the human species for it will provide us with genetic information that leads to the development and functioning of the human body. As such, it will prove an invaluable tool in probing human biology as well as the nature of multitudinous diseases which arise from unwanted genetic changes in one to several human genes. Together with these obvious medical benefits, our growing ability to determine specific genetic defects will pose ethical, legal, and societal implications that will be increasingly important for human life. While many of these issues will offer no neat solutions, I believe that the current revolution in human genetics on balance will be strongly positive for human existence.


The resulting essay has been translated into Italian and published in the book Scienza e società. Dieci Nobel per il futuro. (Marsilio, Venezia 1995).