ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the influence of values in the field of human population genomics. The main goal of this chapter is to show how the influence of values has important consequences both in theory and practice, deserving the attention from philosophers but also scientists and policymakers. The chapter begins by a rejection of the idea that human genomics should be value-free. Then, it clarifies the ways in which values should influence genomics. Finally, the chapter presents some concerns that concerns arise in one of the largest current scientific endeavors in the field of human genomics: the All of Us cohort study sponsored by the National Institute of Health. Ultimately, this chapter illustrates how lack of attention to values can lead us astray.
Readers may be interested in these Handbook chapters as well: Zinhle Mncube, “Science, Values, and Race Correction”; Alexander Tolbert, “Algorithmic Abolitionism and The Racial Algorithm.”
