
Untangling Twinning
What Science Tells Us About the Nature of Human Embryos
Maureen L. Condic(Author)
University of Notre Dame Press
Published on 28. February 2020
Book
Hardback
196 pages
978-0-268-10705-5 (ISBN)
Description
Scientists and philosophers have long struggled to answer the questions of when human life begins and when human life has inherent value. The phenomenon of identical (monozygotic) twinning presents a significant challenge to the view that human life and human personhood begin at conception. The fact that a single embryo can split to generate two (or more) genetically identical embryos seems to defy the notion that prior to splitting an embryo can be a single human individual. In Untangling Twinning, Maureen Condic looks at the questions raised by human twinning based on a unique synthesis of molecular developmental biology and Aristotelian philosophy. She begins with a brief historical analysis of the current scientific perspective on the embryo and proceeds to address the major philosophic and scientific concerns regarding human twinning and embryo fusion: Is the embryo one human or two (or even more)? Does the original embryo die, and if not, which of the twins is the original? Who are the parents of the twins? What do twins, chimeras, cloning, and asexual reproduction in humans mean? And what does the science of human embryology say about human ensoulment, human individuality, and human value? Condic's original approach makes a unique contribution to the discussion of human value and human individuality, and offers a clear, evidence-based resolution to questions raised by human twinning. The book is written for students and scholars of bioethics, scientists, theologians, and attorneys who are involved in questions surrounding the human embryo.
Reviews / Votes
"In this monograph, Condic offers an extensively referenced examination of the biological basis of human individuality. . . . The text will clarify biological concepts and ethical considerations for those who share Condic's interpretation of sperm-egg fusion as the start of human life, and for those who have reached a different conclusion." -Choice"This book brings more biological knowledge to the philosophical discussion of twinning than any other that I know of." -Christopher Tollefsen, author of Lying and Christian Ethics
"Maureen L. Condic is a gifted scientist and writer, exhibiting both a mastery of the science as well as a conversance with the philosophical issues." -Francis J. Beckwith, author of Taking Rites Seriously
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Notre Dame IN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
- 7 Tables, black and white - 7 Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
443 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-268-10705-5 (9780268107055)
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E-Book
02/2020
1st Edition
University of Notre Dame Press
€86.99
Available for download

E-Book
02/2020
1st Edition
University of Notre Dame Press
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Person
Maureen L. Condic is associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Utah.