• Utrecht University
    Department for Philosophy and Religious Studies
    Professor (Part-time)
Utrecht University
Department for Philosophy and Religious Studies
PhD, 1997
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics
Normative Ethics
  •  26
  •  20
    You eat what you are: Moral dimensions of diets tailored to one's genes
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 16 (6): 557-568. 2003.
    Thanks to developments in genomics,dietary recommendations adapted to genetic riskprofiles of individual persons are no longerscience fiction. But what are the consequencesof these diets? An examination of possibleimpacts of genetically tailor-made diets raisesmorally relevant concerns that are analogous to(medical-ethical) considerations aboutscreening and testing. These concerns oftengive rise to applying norms for informedconsent and for the weighing of burdens andbenefits. These diets also h…Read more
  • From the Editors
    with Richard Haynes
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 12 (3): 233-235. 2000.
  •  25
    An ethical toolkit for food companies: Reflections on its use (review)
    with M. Deblonde and R. de Graaff
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 20 (1): 99-118. 2007.
    Nowadays many debates are going on that relate to the agricultural and food sector. It looks as if present technological and organizational developments within the agricultural and food sector are badly geared to societal needs and expectations. In this article we briefly present a toolkit for moral communication within the food chain. This toolkit is developed as part of a European research project. Next, we discuss what such a toolkit can bring about, given the characteristics of the present d…Read more
  •  20
    Ethics of Dissent: A Plea for Restraint in the Scientific Debate About the Safety of GM Crops
    with Ruth Mampuys
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 28 (5): 903-924. 2015.
    Results of studies that cast doubt on the safety of genetically modified crops have been published since the first GM crop approval for commercial release. These ‘alarming studies’ challenge the dominant view about the adequacy of current risk assessment practice for genetically modified organisms. Subsequent debates follow a similar and recurring pattern, in which those involved cannot agree on the significance of the results and the attached consequences. The standard response from the governm…Read more
  • From the Editors
    with Richard Haynes and Jan Elliott
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 14 (4): 365-366. 2001.
  •  37
    The good life of creatures with dignity some comments on the swiss expert opinion
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 13 (1): 53-63. 2000.
    The notion of Dignity of Creatures has been voted into the Swiss Federal Constitution by a plebiscite. Philipp Balzer, Klaus-Peter Rippe, and Peter Schaber have given an expert opinion for the Swiss government to clarify the notion of Dignity of Creatures. According to them, by voting this notion into the Swiss constitution, the Swiss have chosen for a limited biocentric approach towards biotechnology. In such an approach genetic engineering of non-human beings is only allowed insofar that their…Read more
  •  21
    Not all animals are equal differences in moral foundations for the dutch veterinary policy on livestock and animals in nature reservations
    with Katinka Waelbers and Frans Stafleu
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 17 (6): 497-515. 2004.
    The Netherlands is a small country with many people and much livestock. As a result, animals in nature reservations are often living near cattle farms. Therefore, people from the agricultural practices are afraid that wild animals will infect domestic livestock with diseases like Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease. To protect agriculture (considered as an important economic practice), very strict regulations have been made for minimizing this risk. In this way, the practice of animal farming…Read more
  •  41
    From the editors
    with Michael J. Reiss, Richard P. Haynes, and Jan D. Elliott
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 14 (2): 1-3. 2001.
  • From the Editors
    with Richard Haynes and Jan Elliott
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 14 (3): 255-258. 2001.
  • From the Editors
    with Richard Haynes
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 20 (1): 1-2. 2007.
  •  84
    Food, consumer concerns, and trust: Food ethics for a globalizing market (review)
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 12 (2): 127-139. 2000.
    The use of biotechnology in food productiongives rise to consumer concerns. The term ``consumerconcern'' is often used as a container notion. Itincludes concerns about food safety, environmental andanimal welfare consequences of food productionsystems, and intrinsic moral objections againstgenetic modification. In order to create clarity adistinction between three different kinds of consumerconcern is proposed. Consumer concerns can be seen assigns of loss of trust. Maintaining consumer trustask…Read more
  •  37
    Legislation on ethical issues: Towards an interactive paradigm (review)
    with Wibren Van der Burg
    Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 3 (1): 57-75. 2000.
    In this article, we sketch a new approach to law and ethics. The traditional paradigm, exemplified in the debate on liberal moralism, becomes increasingly inadequate. Its basic assumptions are that there are clear moral norms of positive or critical morality, and that making statutory norms is an effective method to have citizens conform to those norms. However, for many ethical issues that are on the legislative agenda, e.g. with respect to bioethics and anti-discrimination law, the moral norms…Read more
  •  30
    The quiet before the storm: anticipating developments in synthetic biology
    with Ruth Mampuys
    Poiesis and Praxis 7 (3): 151-168. 2010.
    Synthetic biology aims at designing biological systems, at building ‘living machines’. The emergence of synthetic biology has reignited the cycle of public debate. The old biotechnology debate is being reiterated and the controversies are deepened. The societal debate follows the technological hype cycle. A new technology with a high visibility and high expectations also raises high controversies. For synthetic biology, this hype is currently near its peak and the first signs of disillusionment …Read more
  • From the Editors
    with Richard Haynes, Jan Elliott, and Kate Millar
    Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 15 (4): 335-335. 2002.