Prof Anneke Lucassen to present John Locke Lecture 2022
In this lecture I will ‘mutate’ John Locke’s essay ‘concerning human understanding’ into the genomics age. Thus, and to misquote Locke: “Genomics is not at this time without master-builders, whose mighty designs, in advancing the sciences, will leave lasting monuments to the admiration of posterity: but in an age that produces such masters as the great [X and Y] … it is ambition enough to be employed as an under-labourer in clearing the ground a little, and removing some of the rubbish that lies in the way to knowledge....”
This ground clearing involves considering some of the complex ethical, legal and social issues raised by genetics, and its successor, genomics. When should one have access to genetic results of relatives to help guide treatments? How can we best influence the deterministic discourse about genetics so that expectations of some weakly predictive test results are realistic? Should parents be able to learn of adult-onset conditions in their new-born baby? Should we select embryos on the basis of – for example- predicted IQ? These are but some examples of Locke’s “rubbish” that lies in the way of maximising the benefits of genomics in healthcare.