Princeton's third biennial bioethics conference, intended to promote discussion on bioethical issues, went awry when a participant strayed from his topic to insult a fellow speaker.
"Redefining Life: What It Means to Be Human" was held over the weekend, featuring a series of distinguished speakers, including President Tilghman, President Emeritus Harold Shapiro GS '64 and philosopher Michael Tooley.
On Friday and Saturday, students from Princeton and 13 other universities attended lectures and engaged in discussions about the boundaries of human life.
Each session paired two speakers in a point-counterpoint discussion. Lecturers included Lee Silver, a professor in the molecular biology department and the Woodrow Wilson School, religion professor Eric Gregory, Time magazine writer Michael Lemonick GS '54 and theologian Nigel Cameron.
"A catty, petty battle"
In one case, the discussion turned ugly. After Hadley Arkes, a visiting fellow in the politics department, presented his pro-life stance, Michael Tooley of the University of Colorado made personal attacks against Arkes's arguments instead of focusing on the issue of abortion, Bioethics Forum co-president Anne Harrington '03 said.
Harrington said Tooley did not follow the topic assigned to him when he was invited.
"We were all sort of shocked," she said. "It turned out to be a catty, petty battle . . . The audience was floored."
The rest of the conference went as planned and culminated in a speech by U.S. Congressman Rush Holt on the policy implications of scientific and ethical issues.
The importance of debate
Holt, one of the few scientists in Congress, discussed the pitfalls of science policy. "My colleagues are representative of Americans and have a certain aversion to science," he said.
He added that debate on such legislation is often "not worthy of the word 'debate' " because it consists of politicians delivering rehearsed views instead of exchanging ideas and formulating opinions.
On Saturday, Shapiro spoke about the role of commissions and the importance of formulating public policy that "shows some respect for the other side of the argument."
"People can be just as thoughtful as you, just as smart as you, and come to different conclusions," he said. "If we're going to live in a pluralistic society, we're going to have to find a way to get along."
Raising awareness
The Student Bioethics Forum organized the event, which aimed to "raise awareness on campus of bioethical issues," said Lauren Turner '04, a conference coordinator and vice president of the forum. Turner, who is spending a semester at Cambridge, flew to Princeton for the weekend.
"Redefining Life" has been nearly a year in the works. After choosing the conference theme, Turner and fellow coordinators Michael Kimberly '03 and Allison Arensman '04 invited speakers whom they felt would bring varying perspectives to the discussion.
"They showed a great deal of foresight in that they chose an issue that has been heavily in the media," said Harrington. "I think it really piqued interest."
'Neutrality and fairness'
Cameron praised the conference's neutrality and fairness. He said that the media tend to over-represent the liberal point of view in its presentation of bioethical issues, but the conference presented a balanced position.
He explained in an interview that the conference provided "a unique exposure to many of those present to the kinds of choices we will have to make as technology develops, and an awareness of how high the stakes are."
Bethany Garrison '06 and six other members of the University of Virginia Bioethics Society participated in the conference. Garrison said she was impressed by the panel of speakers and the overall quality of the conference.
"We had a great turnout at all lectures, and we filled the lecture halls pretty consistently," said Bioethics Forum co-president Justin Carroll '03. "The students got a lot out of the precepts that we held."
Carroll and Harrington said Princeton's undergraduate bioethics conference was the first of its kind in 1999 and has received significant national recognition.
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