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Genetic Engineering
Presents a collection of essays that debate issues on the subject of genetic engineering, including the use of genetic engineering on humans and the benefits and drawbacks of genetically engineering plants and animals.
125 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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September 28, 2015
Have you ever grappled with complex social and moral issues fighting an inner battle to determine what is right and just? We all have. But sometimes we don't have all the answers ourselves so it is important to educate yourself before coming to a conclusion. This series Introducing Issues With Opposing Viewpoints/ does a tremendous job of just that. It equips you the information and the arguments from both sides which encourages you to come to your own conclusion. It reinforces your critical thinking skills by adding introductions before each opinion that include the demographic of the author and key points to look for while reading. These help to reinforce or build the foundations of critical thinking skills which seem to be lacking in some people today.
In the case of this book in particular the issue is the broad topic of genetic engineering. This topic is broken down into three major parts: is genetic engineering ethical, genetically engineered food, and regulation of genetic engineering. Each of these is also broken down into 6 parts with 3 pro and 3 con arguments respectively. Because of this balance the book itself deters any bias by weighing very biased opinions side by side. This makes it a breeze to understand the points of conflict in each topic and possible solutions to them. It makes it seem almost too easy which begs the question who is the expected audience?
As for the audience this book is directed at young readers, using pictures and cartoons to better explain topics. This is also evident by the overall lack of expected prior knowledge the book expects, meaning lots of very elementary information is given in cute fact bubbles i.e., “we are all made of cells.” However if you are a young reader or a parent researching for a student the target age is around 6th to 10th grade. If you or your child fall in that range i wholeheartedly recommend this book. However I had mistakenly as a senior believed that this book would tell me something that I did not already learn in a biology classroom. However if I could do it over I would prefer to begin with this book as a foundation. It would equip a young reader with an unbiased pool of information from which to base their later opinions off of.
In the case of this book in particular the issue is the broad topic of genetic engineering. This topic is broken down into three major parts: is genetic engineering ethical, genetically engineered food, and regulation of genetic engineering. Each of these is also broken down into 6 parts with 3 pro and 3 con arguments respectively. Because of this balance the book itself deters any bias by weighing very biased opinions side by side. This makes it a breeze to understand the points of conflict in each topic and possible solutions to them. It makes it seem almost too easy which begs the question who is the expected audience?
As for the audience this book is directed at young readers, using pictures and cartoons to better explain topics. This is also evident by the overall lack of expected prior knowledge the book expects, meaning lots of very elementary information is given in cute fact bubbles i.e., “we are all made of cells.” However if you are a young reader or a parent researching for a student the target age is around 6th to 10th grade. If you or your child fall in that range i wholeheartedly recommend this book. However I had mistakenly as a senior believed that this book would tell me something that I did not already learn in a biology classroom. However if I could do it over I would prefer to begin with this book as a foundation. It would equip a young reader with an unbiased pool of information from which to base their later opinions off of.
Displaying 1 of 1 review