De-extinction: a novel and remarkable case of bio-objectification

De-extinction is the process of creating an organism which is – or greatly resembles – a member of an extinct species. Contemporary biotechnology offers various promising alternatives for achieving this purpose, including the techniques that have already been applied to preserving endangered species. De-extinction requires an in-depth study of the biophysical conditions where the species can live and reproduce in relation to other species – including humans – and adapt to the environmental changes. In any case, risk and harm evaluation on the impact of the “re-birth” of species is necessary. There is a number of crucial ethical issues concerning de-extinction. They include the meanings of concepts such as “nature,” “species,” “evolution,” “biodiversity,” “death,” and “wildlife” in relation to human behavior and human impact on nature . In 2013, de-extinction became popular through press and public events; the National Geographic devoted a cover story to this topic and presented various possibilities and scenarios about the most suitable candidates. The Revive & Restore network, with the support of TED and in partnership with the National Geographic Society, convened the TEDxDe-Extinction conference bringing together conservationists, genetic technology practitioners, scientists, and ethicists (http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/7650). Because the revival of extinct animals inspires imagination, de-extinction has been a topic of science fiction novels, such as John Brosnan’s Carnosaur (1984) and Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park (1990) and their film adaptations. Following a systematic philosophical and ethical analysis on animal de-extinction in the context of ecological restoration, this article analyzes de-extinction from the standpoint of bio-objectification and considers how deextinction is a case of bio-objectification.