ABSTRACT
The distinction between chemistry and biology was also raised by the majority in its consideration of whether it is defensible to draw a line between lower life forms and higher life forms and allow patents on the former but not the latter. This chapter explains the simplicity of DNA is also what allows genetic engineering to work. It discusses the Materialism and vitalism provide a useful starting point for understanding how life can be conceptualised as a human invention and thus subject to patent law, and whether the patenting of life is ethically acceptable. Autonomy reflects a vitalism of complexity because autonomy stems in part from complexity. The interaction of patent law and biotechnology illustrates a gradual expansion of the former to include a broader number of aspects of the latter. The science of modern biotechnology forms the subject of the central panel of the triptych.
