Search results
Social democracy has made a political comeback in recent years, especially under the influence of the ‘Third Way’. Not everyone is convinced, however, that ‘Third Way’ social democracy is the best means of reviving the Left's project. This book considers this dissent and offers an alternative approach. Bringing together a range of social and political theories, it engages with some contemporary debates regarding the present direction and future of the Left. Drawing upon egalitarian, feminist and environmental ideas, the book proposes that the social democratic tradition can be renewed but only if the dominance of conservative ideas is challenged more effectively. It explores a number of issues with this aim in mind, including justice, the state, democracy, new technologies, future generations and the advances in genetics.
up themes that are still prevalent today in talking about scientific progress, bioethics, and disability. In the 1950s and 1960s, rapid advances in genetics made it possible to identify an ever-growing number of subforms of genetic deafness. This progress brought with it the hope that soon geneticists would also be able to cure the underlying biochemical defects. These hopes, however, never manifested, and thus, genetic counselling and ‘therapeutic abortion’ remained (and to this day usually remain) the main avenue of prevention. This is a familiar story, then. Yet
unexplained neurological, endocrine or metabolic condition where medicine had not been able to diagnose the condition at the time. With modern advances in genetics, the card of the deceased child may be used to diagnose the fatal condition years later, which may be of significant interest to the family for the benefit of other siblings or reproductive planning. Margey et al. (2011) state that the cards may also be used in cases of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), which causes the deaths of at least 5% of young adults under the age of 35. Research in Ireland has shown that at
, we discuss the present position of ‘equality’: has its value decreased in general esteem because of the almost universal acceptance of liberal capitalism and its emphasis on ‘freedom’ as the prime political and social goal? POINTS TO CONSIDER Why has equality been valued less than liberty in Western societies? Do recent advances in genetics give the lie to the
before and during the First World War, and ‘reform eugenics’, which dominated the interwar years. The first focused on class and race while the second acknowledged the advances in genetics and the impact of environment on population issues. See Kevles, In the Name of Eugenics . See also M. Freeden, ‘Eugenics and progressive thought: a study in ideological affinity’, The Historical Journal , 22:3 (1979), pp. 645–71; Macnicol, ‘Eugenics and the campaign’; Mazumdar, Eugenics ; R. A. Soloway, ‘The “perfect contraceptive”’: eugenics and birth control research in Britain
’, another brochure asserted, and explained that ‘this is your opportunity to learn more about emerging issues in genetics and learn more about yourself’. And it continued ominously: ‘advances in genetics will no doubt impact Deaf culture’. The implied call for action was clear: if genetics would impact Deaf culture, it was imperative for deaf individuals to become informed in order to assert their genetic and cultural identity in society. 76 Figure 5 ‘Have you ever wondered?’, detail from a Gallaudet Genetic Services Center Brochure, c. mid-1990s