Synthetic Biology: Political and Policy Challenges

The exploration of the role of mental representations and language in the construction of scientific reality has important implications for policy and public communication. As demonstrated by cognitive scientists at the Stanford Cognation Lab, framing metaphors give birth to powerful narratives. For example, comparing crime to a wild beast leads research participants to propose solutions oriented towards more law enforcement. Comparing living organisms to computers puts people in a position to think that we have understanding and control over the functioning, reliability, and purpose of living organisms. This is a misleading perception that omits what experts in biological complexity have studied and tried to teach us – inter alia, the notorious complexity and context-dependency of biological systems and the delicate balance that needs to be struck for these systems to be viable. If researchers in synthetic biology are aware of the relative weaknesses of the analogy around “software of Life”, the narratives produced in its wake might impact about not only public perceptions and trust, but also have broader ramifications influencing debates on safety assessment and ownership. These are not anodyne issues that can be forgotten in the excitement of scientific discovery. In our talk, we will make use of and contribute to the existing knowledge of the role of metaphors in science, especially in risk communication about science.