http://webzone1.co.uk/www/srtproject/srtpage3.htm (NetControl Archived Pages (1998), ~1998)
Society, Religion and Technology
Project
Church of Scotland
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Director : Dr Donald Bruce
Looking at the ethics of today's technology
Technology is steadily changing the face of our society. Yet we're
so familiar with the car, electricity, plastics, the telephone, the TV
- not to mention the computer you're using - that it's hard to stand back
and grasp the huge impact all of these have made on our lives this century.
And what's coming next .... ? Every week almost some new issue hits the
headlines and we wonder what to make of it all.
The Society, Religion and Technology Project (SRT for short)
is a unique unit of the Church
of Scotland set up in 1970 to examine some of these vital issues
of our times. We bring professional expertise to providing informed and
penetrating comment for technologists, the Church and the public alike.
Many of our working group reports have won a reputation for their balance
and the high quality of their debate, independent of vested interests and
pressure groups.
Our site may not all be full of pretty graphics, but we hope you agree
it makes up for it in its content! For example, since February, we have
been amazed at the thousands of people a week who have been coming to our
pages on the ethics of Cloning and Genetic Engineering. And if you've never
really thought about these kinds of issues, why not browse our pages and
see what you think?
CONTENTS
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We are closed from December 20 - January 4 inclusive
Although the site will still be operational, we won't be able to
reply to any forms or emails until mid-January.
We wish the blessing of the Christ child whose birth we celebrate,
and a fruitful new year.
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About the SRT Project's origins, purpose, and work |
Browse some of today's major issues in technology |
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A quick way to browse our pages |
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SRT's Reports to Church of Scotland's Assembly |
Scotland's national church's official postion |
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An extensive list of books, reports, articles and videos |
SRT's free quarterly newsletter, now on-line |
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SRT's address, and phone and fax numbers |
Some links to related Web Sites |
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Email us a comment or request |
Index of all SRT Pages |
Browse some major issues which SRT is studying
Technology has certainly brought great benefits, but they have not always
been entirely for the good. For technological advances almost inevitably
bring along with them some unexpected impacts, sometimes with far-reaching
ethical implications for society. In the last few years, more and more
people have begun to realise that we're in danger of letting our technological
expertise run ahead of human values, environmental care and public safety.
Genetic engineering, transplanting animal organs into humans, global warming,
pollution, road traffic, nuclear power, virtual reality, and, of course,
the Internet, are all posing some big questions for human society. And
the answers we give will affect our lives far into the future.
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Up to date comment on a contemporary issue in technology, which we change
every few weeks.
Germline therapy is the name given the possibility to change our genetic
makeup in such a way that it would automatically change our progeny as
well. It is possible in animals, but has hitherto only been regarded as
a remote possibility in humans, and it's an area most ethical studies have
come out against. During 1997, however, two discoveries have brought that
possibility much closer than many had thought.. |
The SRT Project presented four reports to this year's General Assembly
of the Church of Scotland
- its Main Report on SRT's work - a report on Patenting Living Organisms
- a supplementary report on Cloning - and one on the BSE/CJD crisis in
collaboration with the Church and Nation Committee.
In a historic move, Scotland's national church has passed two motions
concerning the cloning of animals and humans, so establishing its position
on these issues with which it has been interacting for over a year.
It has also called upon the European Parliament and Commission to prevent
the patenting of living organisms and sections of the human genome. |
Back to Contents
How to find More about the SRT Project
See What
is the SRT Project? for more about the Project's origins, purpose,
and work.
The SRT
Publications List page displays the wide range of our published
material. The standard version uses frames but we also have a Non-frames
version. We also have a quarterly On-line
Newsletter which is distibuted by post to all Church of Scotland
parishes and our extensive mailing list.
For our other web pages, see the SRT
Website Map, or the Links
to SRT Project Pages by Subject, or see our complete Index
of SRT Pages.
To contact the SRT Project directly, write, phone or fax to our
address :
Society, Religion and Technology Project
John Knox House,
45 High Street,
Edinburgh EH1 1SR,
Scotland.
Tel : +44 131-556 2953, Fax : +44 131-556 7478
e-mail address [email protected]
Alternatively, you can email us
mailto:srtscot@dial.pipex.com
We'd love to know who called, and would welcome your comments.
If you wish, please sign our Guest
Book
INDEX OF SRT PROJECT PAGES
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times since I installed a Web-Counter
on 16 August 1996. |
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