In recent years political, religious, and scientific communities have engaged in an ethical debate regarding the development of and research on embryonic stem cells. Does the manipulation of embryonic stem cells destroy human life? Or do limitations imposed on stem cell research harm patients who might otherwise benefit?

 

John Lynch’s What Are Stem Cells? identifies the moral stalemate between the rights of the embryo and the rights of the patient and uses it as the framework for a larger discussion about the role of definitions as a key rhetorical strategy in the debate. In the case of stem cells, the controversy arises from the manner in which stem cells are defined--in particular, whether they are defined with an appeal to their original source or to their future application. Definitions such as these, Lynch argues, are far more than convenient expository references; they determine the realities of any given social discourse.

 

Lynch addresses definitions conceptually--their stability in the face of continual technological innovation, their versatility at the crossroads of scientific and public forums, and their translations and retranslations through politics. Most importantly, his work recognizes definitions as central to issues, not only within the topic of stem cell research, but also in all argumentation.

“Lynch addresses a topic of considerable social importance and encourages academic thought about it. The issue of definition is a very good one, interesting to rhetoric scholars, and highly pertinent to this public issue. It would be of interest to those who study rhetoric, culture, and ethics.” --John Lyne, a professor of communication at the University of Pittsburgh, has written numerous articles and book chapters on the rhetoric of science and bioethics that have appeared in Argumentation and Advocacy, Rhetoric of Public Affairs, and the Quarterly Journal of Speech