Biopolitics and Biological Life - Essay Example

1. Microtechnologies are increasingly used to manage important information, so women and men need to understand how these technologies set standards and norms (Rose, 2007, p. 29).

2. The complications of biopolitics are creating new types of power. People such as geneticists, genetic counselors, research scientists, drug companies, and doctors are making life-and-death decisions every day. These people are defining the vocabulary and ethics for the entire field of bioethics and biopolitics (Rose, 2007, p.40).

3. Our biological life is full of choices now. Decisions can now be made about human life and altering natural outcomes in ways that were never possible before. We live in an age of choices about our ethics and biopolitics. We must all stay informed of our choices (Rose, 2007, p.40)

4. Biopower is a perspective on life. It refers to a whole range of activities that alter the human lifespan. Biopower refers to individuals and institutions that seek to alter the natural cycle of birth, maturation, and death. This cycle can be altered in many ways due to new technology (Rose, 2007, p.54).

5. Many groups, organizations, and self-help gurus are trying to exert power on the human experience. Any place in the human mind that has desires, disappointments, or fears is used by these individuals and groups to sell something that claims to promote health (Rose, 2007, 64).

6. Eugenics refers to making choices about the desirability of genetic traits. There are all sorts of factors that influence these choices. The actions that can be taken to alter the genetic outcome for individuals are possible in ways not that were never possible in the past (Rose, 2007, p.69).

7. In Western governments, there is a great amount of suspicion regarding any control over eugenics or biopolitics. Some situations, such as the rationing of health care in socialized schemes, have made people wary of governmental control over biomedical choices. The effect these experiences have had on the perception of choice in individuals is large and lasting (Rose, 2007, p.70).

8. Biopolitics needs to operate according to vitality, not morality. Decisions about extending life should be based on logic and ethics. Letting someone die is not the same as killing him or her. Biopolitics is not a politics of death; it is a government of life (Rose, 2007, p.70).
9. Our ideas about what it means to be human have been influenced by many things. When we think of humanity, a certain picture appears in our minds. Biopolitics itself has done a great deal to influence how we view human life and what it means to be considered alive (Rose, 2007, p.76).

10. This struggle to define our personhood is not new to our generation. All generations have had to define this. What is new about this generation is the discussion has traveled beyond us. Other individuals and institutions now make choices for us that help form our generation’s definitions of life and living (Rose, 2007, p.76).

11. In the past, medical ethics were almost entirely the concern of doctors and nurses. In this generation, many new players have entered the field of biomedical ethics. The ethics of just the medical personnel are no longer the only concern. All of the players need to be considered when ethical choices are concerned (Rose, 2007, p.97).

12. Medical staff such as doctors and nurses are surrounded by ethical concerns and organizations that wish to wield power. They need to practice evidence-based medicine, but also accommodate advocates for patient choice. In many ways, the ethics of doctors and nurses are being replaced by these other actors (Rose, 2007, p.97).

13. Biomedical techniques have allowed us to make decisions about life that were not possible in the past. The agencies, individuals, and companies that wish to exert power over these decisions influence our decisions regarding life and the value of life. Living in an age of biological citizenship requires us to be aware of the choices we have concerning our own lives and of the powers that are seeking to influence our perceptions of and decisions concerning life (Rose, 2007, p.254). Read More