COME, LET US PLAY GOD

Dr. Augenstein, Chairman of the Department of Biophysics at Michigan State University and an adjunct professor at San Francisco Theological Seminary (formerly with the AEC and also a Senatorial contender in 1966) has examined some of the decisions, decisions which face the average man in which he must exercise some option. ""We must play God"" and realign our thinking as science advances new findings and techniques. Should a young man shorten his life to prolong that of his grandfather's (offering a kidney)? should a fetus that may be defective be aborted? who is to get that rare spare part (or machine) which will extend the years for someone? what of the population explosion and birth control, etc., etc. Most of this material is familiar and some of it is repetitious since it is based on lectures. Dr. Augenstein does not give any easy answers but will help to realign your thinking and perhaps stimulate personal reassessment of moral and ethical positions. However Albert Rosenfeld's book The Second Genesis (later in this issue) deals more widely with this material and is better written.