ABSTRACT
The concept of field philosophy challenges a common self-understanding in Western philosophy. One question regarding this challenge is the extent to which it might be relevant to a philosophical and cultural tradition other than that in which it originated. The birth of gene-edited babies in late 2018 in Shenzhen and subsequent response within China offer an occasion for considering such a question. A narrative review, emphasizing how discussions in China itself have unfolded, rather than the course of international discussions of this real-world problem, suggests a need to qualify the applicability of field philosophy beyond American and European contexts. Many English language reports fail to note the broad involvement from government agencies, scientific institutions, professional organizations, news media, and netizens (both academics and the public). What we called field philosophical journalism can help identify limitations in some non-Chinese perspectives and complement if not directly contribute to field philosophy.
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All data in this article are from publicly published websites and journals. For specific links and details, please see references.
Note on references
Citations from Chinese language media and web sites that are without authors are referenced with bracketed numbers and placed in References A. For all articles attributed to authors, the standard in-line reference protocol has been retained with references placed in References B.
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Ping Yan
Ping Yan is an Assistant Professor in the School of Marxism Studies at Dalian University of Technology. Her research interests are ethics of technology, engineering ethics and responsible innovation (RI).
Carl Mitcham
Carl Mitcham is a Visiting Professor in the School of Philosophy at Renmin University of China in Beijing and Professor Emeritus of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Colorado School of Mines.