Biotechnology, Security and the Search for Limits: An Inquiry into Research and Methods

How might the growing scientific understanding of life processes facilitate the development of novel weapons? What might be done to prevent this outcome? How should social research be undertaken into such possibilities? Biotechnology, Security and the Search for Limits examines growing concerns since 2001 regarding the international security threats posed by scientific research in relation to biological weapons and bioterrorism. It does so through undertaking a novel method of social research with leading scientific researchers. The book combines an examination of threats from bioweapons with a thoroughgoing examination of prospects and problems with a range of social research methods. In considering both research methods and security threats, Biotechnology, Security and the Search for Limits appeals to those concerned with social problems, the sociology of science, conversation and discourse analysis, security studies, public policy, action research, and pragmatism.

About the Author:
Brian Ruppert is an Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Public Affairs in the Department of Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Exeter, UK