ABSTRACT
Recent developments in agrobiotechnology undergird far-reaching changes in agricultural practices that are based on the development and practical utilization of transgenics. These developments depend upon successfully engineering new kinds of seeds which are not the products of crossbreeding, but which have been engineered so that their genomes contain genetic materials obtained from unrelated organisms. Although their roles in agricultural practices and their effects vary with social, economic, and cultural context, a widely publicized argument has been mounted that these developments serve human interests universally: they are indispensable for producing sufficient quantities of nourishing food to feed the world’s increasing population over coming decades. Thus, it is said, transgenic seeds should be considered objects of high value for all value outlooks. Against this, I will contend, what seeds (used in agriculture) and the plants that grow from them are is partly a function of the sociocultural nexus (SCN) of which they are constituents and that their value does not significantly transcend their specific nexus. I will argue that the following two questions cannot be separated: How are seeds (plants and crops) to be scientifically investigated? How is the knowledge obtained from such investigations, on application, to be evaluated? The answers, in turn, vary with the SCN.
