Gregory E. Pence (born January 17, 1948) is an American philosopher.
Biography
He graduated
cum laude with a B.A. from
William and Mary
William and Mary often refers to:
* The joint reign of William III of England (II of Scotland) and Mary II of England (and Scotland)
* William and Mary style, a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 named for the couple
William and Mary may ...
and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, writing under visiting Australian bioethicist
Peter Singer
Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular, ...
. Professor Pence taught a required course in bioethics for thirty-four years to 165 medical students at the
University of Alabama School of Medicine
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
.
In 2006,
Samford University awarded him a Pellegrino Medal for achievement in medical ethics. In 2011, he switched from teaching in the medical school to chairing the UAB Department of Philosophy, which he did from 2012 to 2018, after which he continued to be a professor in the department. In 1995, he began to direct, and continues to direct now, UAB's EMSAP (Early Medical School Acceptance Program).
His well-known work defending human cloning has labeled him as a rebel in the scientific community. Some critics, especially GreenPeace of Europe, consider him an apologist for the safety of GM foods. As displayed in his many books on human cloning (''Who's Afraid of Cloning'', etc.), he is one of the few bioethicists who believes that
human cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy (or clone) of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue. It does not refer to the natural concepti ...
should not be banned but rather accepted in modern society as a future tool for creating wanted children. In 2001, Pence testified before the US Congress against a bill that would have criminalized all aspects of human cloning. His many books, and over 70 op-ed essays, explain his views about assisted reproduction, human cloning, and various topics in bioethics.
In 2015, he was invited to write for "American National Biography" the official biography of agricultural pioneer
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug (; March 25, 1914September 12, 2009) was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple ...
, a strong defender of
genetically modified food
Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. Gene ...
.
His textbook, ''Medical Ethics'', one of the field's standards, was 28 years old in 2018 in its 8th edition and will be in its 9th edition in 2020. At UAB, he won major teaching awards, including the Ingall's and President's. He coached the UAB team that in 2010 won the national championship of the Intercollegiate
Ethics Bowl., and UAB teams that won the national championship of the
Bioethics Bowl in 2011 at Duke University, in 2015 at Florida State University. and in 2019 at the University of South Alabama.
His 2002 and 2020 tradebooks ''Designer Food'' and ''Overcoming Addiction'' were named Outstanding Academic Books by CHOICE magazine. In 2019, his university awarded him its Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction.
Publications
Books
Pence has authored the following books:
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He has co-authored one book with G. Lynn Stephens:
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He has edited four books, the first one below being a collection of his op-eds in newspapers and magazines:
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Representative Op-Ed Essays:
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See also
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American philosophy
American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevert ...
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List of American philosophers
This is a list of American philosophers; of philosophers who are either from, or spent many productive years of their lives in the United States.
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Human Cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy (or clone) of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue. It does not refer to the natural concepti ...
*
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug (; March 25, 1914September 12, 2009) was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple ...
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Bioethics
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...
References
External links
Faculty bioGregoryPence: Bioethicist, Author, SpeakerHumancloning.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pence, Gregory
1948 births
Living people
Bioethicists
American philosophers
College of William & Mary alumni
New York University alumni
University of Alabama at Birmingham faculty