Revolutionary Bioethics

"In her monograph, Engineering Perfection: Solidarity, Disability, and Well-being, Elyse Purcell weaves compelling stories which center "imperfection" with cogent philosophical insights drawing on feminist disability studies and standpoint epistemology. Purcell roots her analysis in a solidarity view that reimagines Iris Marion Young's five faces of oppression as faces of vulnerability. Engineering Perfection showcases an important critique of transhumanism and its late capitalist ideology of genetic enhancement."

"A lucid and enlightening exploration of the value of our inescapable vulnerabilities, of the ways in which social-economic processes push us toward the pathological perfectionism of genetic engineering, and of how a saner society can be created through social solidarity by means of respect for bodily difference, relational authenticity, empowered self-direction, and mutual recognition. A must read!"

"Elyse Purcell's Engineering Perfection: Solidarity, Disability, and Well-Being is a fearless, clear, and exemplary work of moral philosophy. Drawing on what Purcell calls 'the Solidarity view,' the book effortlessly weaves personal narrative, reflection on the experiences of infertility, adoption, and disability with a careful consideration of the literature covering genetic technology, disability studies, Marxism, ethics, and virtue theory. The book is a careful explication of life's vulnerabilities-illness, aging, death, misfortune, and suffering-and the way capitalism exploits those vulnerabilities. Hopefully, Purcell suggests that a model for social transformation will depend on the virtues of respect for bodily diversity, relational authenticity, empowered self-direction, and mutual recognition. This important and expansive book will be of benefit to teachers and students across many disciplines and the general reader who desires to work toward the well-being of all in society."