"In the seventeenth century, philosophers Francis Bacon (1561–1626) and René Descartes (1596–1650) advocated a new way of doing science that would have the power to conquer nature for hum an benefit. Science had previously been more concerned with contemplating nature than controlling it. In the contemporary world, biotechnology provides the technology for controlling and changing living nature, including human nature. Because biotechnology has power over the living world, it offers not only the promise for doing good but also an opportunity for doing evil. This conundrum has stimulated a vigorous ethical debate about the modern scientific project for the mastery of nature through technology."