Politics, Bioethics, and Science Policy

Many commentators argue that science policy should be "above" or "beyond" politics; they insist that science policy ought to be based exclusively on "science." However, science policy formation includes ethical and political considerations. "Science" and "scientific facts" do not determine science policy, though bodies of evidence developed by communities of scientists play an important role during policy-making processes. I argue that science policy-particularly policy-making related to medicine, biotechnology, the life sciences and other areas raising basic questions about identity, morality, and social order-is inevitably "politicized" in pluralistic societies.