Jonathan D. Moreno
Encyclopedia
Jonathan D. Moreno is a philosopher and historian who specializes in the intersection of bioethics
, culture, science, and national security, and has published seminal works on the history, sociology and politics of biology and medicine.
Moreno is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and Professor of Medical Ethics and the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania
. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
and served on the Obama-Biden Transition Project in 2008 as the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services Agency Review for Bioethics.
Moreno is a senior advisor for the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, and served on the senior staff of the Clinton Administration’s National Bioethics Advisory Commission and the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments
.
, the precursor of social network theory. His father and mother, psychotherapist Zerka T. Moreno, worked closely together. Both of his parents emigrated to the United States from Europe before World War II. Moreno and his older sister, Regina Moreno, spent much of their childhood in Beacon, New York on the grounds of their parents’ sanitarium and psychodrama training center.
where he earned a B.A. in philosophy
and psychology
with highest honors in 1973. From 1973 to 1975 he was a graduate student in the philosophy doctoral program in the CUNY Graduate Center and completed his Ph.D. in philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis
in 1977. Moreno’s doctoral dissertation traced the development of a distinctly American semiotic tradition from Charles S. Peirce to Nelson Goodman
. His dissertation director was Richard S. Rudner, the longtime editor of the Journal of the Philosophy of Science.
, the University of Texas at Austin
, and George Washington University
. During 1984-85 he was an associate at the Hastings Center
, the first bioethics think tank. From 1985-1987 he was philosopher-in-residence at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.
He was the director of the Program in Medical Humanities and a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn
from 1989 until 1998, when he joined University of Virginia
faculty as the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Professor of Biomedical Ethics and director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics.
In 2007, Moreno joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania
as part of President Amy Gutmann
’s Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Initiative, where he is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and a Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy and of the History and Sociology of Science. He also holds a courtesy appointment in Penn’s Department of Philosophy, is a member of the Center for Neuroscience and Society, and is the interim chair of the program in Science, Technology, and Society.
As an elected member of the Institute of Medicine
of the National Academy of Sciences
, Moreno has served on and chaired a number of committees on bioethics, embryonic stem cell research, national defense research, and neuroscience. He is also a past president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, was a bioethics advisor for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
and is a Fellow of the Hastings Center
and the New York Academy of Medicine
.
. As a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
, Moreno is the Editor of Science Progress, an online journal focusing on progressive science and technology policy.
for Humanistic Studies. He also received an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University in 1998 and the Benjamin Rush Medal from the College of William and Mary
School of Law in 2008.
.
.
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
, culture, science, and national security, and has published seminal works on the history, sociology and politics of biology and medicine.
Moreno is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and Professor of Medical Ethics and the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
and served on the Obama-Biden Transition Project in 2008 as the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services Agency Review for Bioethics.
Moreno is a senior advisor for the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, and served on the senior staff of the Clinton Administration’s National Bioethics Advisory Commission and the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments
Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments
The Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments was established in 1994 to investigate questions of the record of the United States government with respect to human radiation experiments. The special committee was created by President Bill Clinton in Executive Order 12891, issued January 15,...
.
Early life
Jonathan D. Moreno was born and grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley. His father, J.L. Moreno, was a psychiatrist and the pioneer of psychodramaPsychodrama
Psychodrama is a method of psychotherapy in which clients utilize spontaneous dramatization, role playing and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jacob L. Moreno, M.D. psychodrama includes elements of theater, often conducted on a stage where...
, the precursor of social network theory. His father and mother, psychotherapist Zerka T. Moreno, worked closely together. Both of his parents emigrated to the United States from Europe before World War II. Moreno and his older sister, Regina Moreno, spent much of their childhood in Beacon, New York on the grounds of their parents’ sanitarium and psychodrama training center.
Education
Moreno attended Hofstra UniversityHofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
where he earned a B.A. in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
with highest honors in 1973. From 1973 to 1975 he was a graduate student in the philosophy doctoral program in the CUNY Graduate Center and completed his Ph.D. in philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
in 1977. Moreno’s doctoral dissertation traced the development of a distinctly American semiotic tradition from Charles S. Peirce to Nelson Goodman
Nelson Goodman
Henry Nelson Goodman was an American philosopher, known for his work on counterfactuals, mereology, the problem of induction, irrealism and aesthetics.-Career:...
. His dissertation director was Richard S. Rudner, the longtime editor of the Journal of the Philosophy of Science.
Career
Following graduation, Moreno held full-time academic appointments in philosophy at Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, and George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. During 1984-85 he was an associate at the Hastings Center
Hastings Center
The Hastings Center, founded in 1969, is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit bioethics research institute based in the United States. It is dedicated to the examination of essential questions in health care, biotechnology, and the environment...
, the first bioethics think tank. From 1985-1987 he was philosopher-in-residence at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.
He was the director of the Program in Medical Humanities and a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, better known as SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is a public university and medical center located in central Brooklyn, New York and the only academic center for health education, research, and patient care serving Brooklyn’s 2.5...
from 1989 until 1998, when he joined University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
faculty as the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Professor of Biomedical Ethics and director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics.
In 2007, Moreno joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
as part of President Amy Gutmann
Amy Gutmann
Amy Gutmann is the eighth President of the University of Pennsylvania and the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Communications, and Philosophy...
’s Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Initiative, where he is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and a Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy and of the History and Sociology of Science. He also holds a courtesy appointment in Penn’s Department of Philosophy, is a member of the Center for Neuroscience and Society, and is the interim chair of the program in Science, Technology, and Society.
As an elected member of the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, Moreno has served on and chaired a number of committees on bioethics, embryonic stem cell research, national defense research, and neuroscience. He is also a past president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, was a bioethics advisor for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
and is a Fellow of the Hastings Center
Hastings Center
The Hastings Center, founded in 1969, is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit bioethics research institute based in the United States. It is dedicated to the examination of essential questions in health care, biotechnology, and the environment...
and the New York Academy of Medicine
New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform...
.
. As a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
, Moreno is the Editor of Science Progress, an online journal focusing on progressive science and technology policy.
Awards and honors
Moreno has received many awards and honors, among them a 1984-1985 Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship in cooperation with the Aspen InstituteAspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The organization is dedicated to "fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues." The...
for Humanistic Studies. He also received an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University in 1998 and the Benjamin Rush Medal from the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
School of Law in 2008.
Writing
Moreno has published more than 20 books, monographs, anthologies and textbooks and more than 300 papers, reviews and book chapters. He is also a member of several editorial boards.The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America
In The Body Politic, Moreno elucidates the cultural, political and societal underpinnings of biotechnology by tracing its history from early America to the present culture wars of the “new biology.” The book considers the intersection of society and biotechnology in areas such as embryonic stem cell research, reproductive cloning, and synthetic biology, and demonstrates how biology and society have shaped each other into modern-day biopoliticsBiopolitics
The term "biopolitics" or "biopolitical" can refer to several different yet often compatible concepts.-Definitions:# In the work of Michel Foucault, the style of government that regulates populations through "biopower" .# In the works of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, anti-capitalist insurrection...
.
Progress in Bioethics: Science, Policy and Politics
Progress in Bioethics is a compilation of essays that explore the politicization of modern-day bioethics. Experts consider the fundamental values of progressivism and conservatism in bioethics, and situate bioethical issues within the nuances of politics and culture in the United States.Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense
In Mind Wars, Moreno explores the scientific, ethical and policy issues surrounding military research and neuroscience projects in the United States, including experimentation with enhancement drugs for soldiers to the development of alleged deception detection and mind-control devices. The book sheds light on the how these fields of inquiry have created a new era of conflict and national security, and introduces the concept of neurosecurityNeurosecurity
Neurosecurity has been defined as "a version of computer science security principles and methods applied to neural engineering," or more fully, as "the protection of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of neural devices from malicious parties with the goal of preserving the safety of a...
.
In the Wake of Terror: Medicine and Morality in a Time of Crisis
In the Wake of Terror presents essays on the complex moral questions that accompany societal concerns about terrorism and biological warfare. The essays, written by experts from the fields of medicine, health care policy, law, political science, history, philosophy, and theology, consider issues of civil liberties, medical experiments, and preparedness for future terrorist attacks.Undue Risk: Secret State Experiments on Humans
Undue Risk is the first comprehensive study of the history and ethics of human experiments for national security purposes, from World War II to the first Gulf War and its aftermath. Topics covered include the Nazi doctors trial, the Japanese medical experiments, the human radiation experiments, and biological and chemical weapons testing.Deciding Together: Bioethics and Moral Conensus
In Deciding Together, Moreno discusses the process of moral consensus and its place in societal value systems from social, philosophical, and historical perspectives. In this work, he also constructs his concept of bioethical naturalism, a naturalistic meta-philosophy that explains moral consensus through psychology and the consensus process .Selected articles
- “Bioethics in the United States: Contested Terrain for Competing Visions of American Liberalism,” in C. Myser (ed.), Bioethics Around the Globe. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
- "Brain Trust: Neuroscience and National Security in the 21st Century," in J. Illes (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
- "Public Trust, Public Health, and Public Safety: A Progressive Response to Bioterrorism," Harvard Law & Policy Review 4(2): 295-317, 2010
- "Prevalence of Industry Support and its Relationship to Research Integrity," Accountability in Research 16:78-105, 2009
- "Embracing Military Medical Ethics," American Journal of BioethicsAmerican Journal of BioethicsThe American Journal of Bioethics , founded in 1999 by bioethicist Dr. Glenn McGee, is a peer reviewed journal published by Taylor and Francis. The journal publishes 12 issues each year, and is available both in print and on the internet, at , the most-visited bioethics website...
, 2008, 8(2): 1-3 http://www.bioethics.net/journal/j_articles.php?aid=1459 - "The Triumph of Autonomy in Bioethics and Commercialism in American Healthcare," Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 2007, 16: 415-419 http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1299520
- “Taking Stem Cells Seriously”, American Journal of Bioethics, 2006, 6(5), 6-7. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/07/b1983961.html
- “Congress’s Hybrid Problem,” Hastings Center ReportHastings Center ReportSince 1971, the Hastings Center Report has been one of the leading journals of bioethics in the United States. It is published six times each year by the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York. Gregory Kaebnick is the current editor....
, 2006: 12-13. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hastings_center_report/v036/36.4moreno.pdf - “Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.” Nature Biotechnology, 2005, 23: 793-4. http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v23/n7/abs/nbt0705-793.html
- “Bioethics and the National Security State,” In: Michael Freeman (ed.) The Ethics of Public Health, Volume II. The International Library of Law, Medicine and Ethics. London: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2010. (Reprinted from Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2004.)
Selected Books
- The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America, (Bellevue Literary Press, 2011) ISBN 1934137383
- Progress in Bioethics: Science, Policy, and Politics, (MIT Press, 2010) ISBN 9780262134880
- Science Next: Innovation for the Common Good from the Center for American Progress, (Bellevue Literary Press, 2009) ISBN 1934137189
- Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense, (Dana Press, 2007) ISBN 1 932594167 http://www.dana.org/news/danapressbooks/detail.aspx?id=3272
- Ethical Guidelines for Innovative Surgery, (University Publishing Group, 2006) ISBN 1555720439
- Is There an Ethicist in the House?: On the Cutting Edge of Bioethics, (Indiana University Press, 2005) ISBN 0253346355
- Ethics in Clinical Practice, (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Second Edition, 2004) ISBN 0763729450
- In the Wake of Terror: Medicine and Morality in a Time of Crisis, (MIT Press, 2004) ISBN 0262633027
- Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research: Readings and Commentary, (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003) ISBN 0801878136
- Undue Risk: Secret State Experiments on Humans, (Routledge, 2000) ISBN 0415928354
- Deciding Together: Bioethics and Moral Consensus (Oxford University Press, 1995) ISBN 019509218X
- Arguing Euthanasia: The Controversy Over Mercy Killing, Assisted Suicide, And The "Right To Die", (Touchstone, 1995) ISBN 0684807602