Rationalizing the GMO Debate: The Ordonomic Approach to Addressing Agricultural Myths
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. The Ordonomic Approach
2.1. The Problem of Discourse Distortions
2.2. Improving the Quality of Discourses
3. Application to Discourses about GMOs: A Conceptual Sketch
- Following Blancke and coauthors, the intuitions facilitating the public opposition toward GMOs can be divided in three groups related to (i) essentialism; (ii) teleological and intentional thinking; and (iii) disgust. Essentialist intuitions suggest the inappropriateness of human interference with the allegedly fixed genetic codes; teleological and intentional thinking takes genetic engineering to violate the allegedly beneficial order of nature; and disgust is provoked by the emotional perception of genetically modified food as contaminated [48,49].
- Following the classification proposed by Haidt [9], arguments in favor of GMOs (which are often arguments against the critics of GMOs) usually refer to what Haidt’s “Moral Foundations Theory” identifies as the moral categories of (i) “care/harm” and (ii) “loyalty/betrayal”. Both dimensions belong to a set of at least five “cognitive modules” or “moral taste buds” that emerged in the course of evolution and now trigger fundamental mental programs: “care/harm” provokes compassion for those in need of protection; “loyalty/betrayal” causes “rage against traitors” in the case of offending the established group norms. This is most obvious in popular communication strategies employed by agribusiness firms that aim at discrediting GMO critics as anti-western, anti-capitalist, anti-modernist, or anti-progressive and technophobic.
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
GMO | Genetically modified organism |
NGO | Non-governmental organization |
GABEK | Ganzheitliche Bewältigung von Komplexität (German acronym for holistic analysis of complexity) |
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Hielscher, S.; Pies, I.; Valentinov, V.; Chatalova, L. Rationalizing the GMO Debate: The Ordonomic Approach to Addressing Agricultural Myths. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2016, 13, 476. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050476
Hielscher S, Pies I, Valentinov V, Chatalova L. Rationalizing the GMO Debate: The Ordonomic Approach to Addressing Agricultural Myths. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2016; 13(5):476. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050476
Chicago/Turabian StyleHielscher, Stefan, Ingo Pies, Vladislav Valentinov, and Lioudmila Chatalova. 2016. "Rationalizing the GMO Debate: The Ordonomic Approach to Addressing Agricultural Myths" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13, no. 5: 476. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050476