Joshua Lederberg*

Although Lederberg is Scientist in Residence for POSTS, he is
principally committed to the Stanford University Medical School
where he receives most of his support. Included among his many
interests is a concern for the social and political effects of advances
in the field of biology. Two of his published articles deal with this
subject, (9) and (12).

Advances in molecular biology promise to enlarge our technical
capacity to intervene in genetic problems. Social and ethical factors
are likely to play an increasingly important role in determining the
application of new scientific advances to humans. Lederberg believes
that the evolution of wise policies for the use of genetic advances
requires a widely disseminated understanding of the probable po-
tentialities of various types of genetic intervention and their technical
as well as ethical limitations. In addition, the costs of enforcing con-
straints against such interventions must be weighed against the social
motives for possible sanctions against them. Currently, such inter-
vention generally takes the form of prenatal diagnosis coupled with
elective abortion of the threatened fetus. However, cell and organ
transplantation and virogenic therapy are being developed. The re-
nucleation of eggs (cloning) is a theoretical possibility, likely in the
near future to be of more metaphorical than pragmatic interest. The
discussion of cloning may help to illuminate the ethical problem of
parenthood, i.e. what is the responsibility of each generation for the
biological and educational predetermination of its successors?

To answer such questions, it is important not only to disseminate
information on genetic possibilities but also to integrate biology with
the social sciences, such as psychology, philosophy and history. Such
an interdisciplinary field is called “human biology.” It includes many
questions presently not understood, such as: When does life begin?
To what extent do biological factors determine temperament, language
skills, intelligence and other behavorial traits? When more intricate
methods of intervention in human development are found, they must

*Includes 1971 - 1973.

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be given the most careful scrutiny with respect to the social utility of
their adoption. The study of “human biology” is needed to do this.

Lederberg also wrote an article on chemical and biological weapons
(10). In it he outlines the history of national and international poli-
cies directing the production and use of these weapons. For example,
he describes the Biological Draft Treaty (BW-71) which states that
each party promises to “never... develop, produce, stockpile...”
biological weapons. There are two main problems with this: the treaty
does not mention actual use of such weapons; and the peaceful uses
of potential biological weapons make verification of adherence to the
treaty extremely difficult. Despite these difficulties, BW-71 and other
international agreements involving chemical and biological weapons
have been practical forces to deflate the pressures for such a weapons
race by the superpowers. Lederberg states, “Insofar as the super-
powers place some utility on the pattern of stability achieved by
BW-71, they may discourage violations even in the face of local ad-
vantages to one of their allies.”

In another article (11), Lederberg outlines several approaches for
better directing scientific research toward improving the human con-
dition:

a) Liberate the universities from some of the programmatic re-

straints of centrally administered governmental funding.

b) Promote a flourishing, well-informed and effectively critical

scientific community.

c) Subject the scientist turned consultant to public scientific skep-

ticism.

d) Provide Congress with greater access to good technical advice.

e) Assess not only individual projects, but also their aggregate

impact.

New laws will be necessary to resolve conflicts of rights along new
lines in the areas of: privacy, including computer dossiers on indi-
viduals; public education for over-specialized professionals; and en-
vironmental concerns, including the deprivation of individual rights
for the general welfare. The registered non-profit advocate of con-
sumer and environmental interests, already exemplified by public in-
terest law firms, is a new institutional form needed to deal with these
problems.

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