Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the realm of law, primarily because of the role law plays in enrolling actors. It explores some of the ontological contests that make artifacts like GE seed, oil consuming bacteria, and 15 percent human sheep possible. It examines how the biotechnology regime has amassed the force it has. It speaks more about such things as capital and the political economy. The book discusses that the Infectious capital is a consequence of patent law attempting to ascribe object-ivity to something that is so clearly unwieldy, namely, plants that transgress boundaries with their seed and pollen. Martin Heidegger provides a useful way for us to think through this concept of the "blackbox". Heidegger makes the distinction between "readiness-to-hand" and "present-at-hand".