基因修改技術知識的價值與本質

The Nature and Value of the Technological Knowledge of Gene-Modification

本文討論基因修改的生物技術知識是否具有「科學知識價值」？所謂「科學知識價值」是指「單純知道為什麼某事會發生本身」的價值，不涉及任何可應用或實用的價值。本文想探討生物技術知識是不是有這樣的科學價值，就涉及生物技術知識的本質，必須對科學知識和技術知識進行分類。本文企圖透過基因修改的生物技術知識為例，提出一個科學知識與技術知識的分類系統，由此而定義基因修改知識的本質。我以基因重組、基因轉殖和基因編輯這幾個技術為例，論證基因修改的技術知識是3種型態知識的組合，可定義成以「自然機制知識」為基礎的「探索性現象知識」和「程序性的技術知識」。關於「機制」、「現象」、「探索」、「程序」等概念的意義將在本文中被分析和刻畫，它們共同界定了基因修改的技術知識之本質。這種知識本質使得它們具有「協助其它科學研究的工具價值」、「應用到社會的效益價值」以及「發現新現象的知識價值」。

This article discusses whether gene modification as biotechnological knowledge has the value of scientific knowledge or not. The term“value of scientific knowledge”refers to the value of merely knowing why something happens, without involving any pragmatic or application value. I propose a classification system for scientific and technological knowledge using the knowledge of gene modification as an example. I argue that the technological knowledge of gene modification, including gene recombination, gene transfer, and gene editing, is based on a combination of three types of knowledge:“phenomenal knowledge from exploration,”“technical procedure knowledge,”and“knowledge of natural mechanism.”The meanings of“mechanism,”“phenomenon,”“exploration,”and“procedure”will be analyzed and characterized in this article, as they collectively define the nature of gene modification knowledge. This nature gives rise to the instrumental value of assisting scientific research, the utility value of social application, and the knowledge value of discovering new phenomena.