What Is the Problem with Europe in a Philosophical Point of View?

Abstract

AbstractIt is well known that developing plant biotechnological products is far more difficult in Europe than in the United States, for example. Of course, the different regulatory rationales impact technological development in both cases. This chapter discusses the reasons for such a difference, in relation with the historical background of Europe vs. USA, and in the philosophical context of ‘postmodernism’. The latter is influent in both the European Union (EU) and the USA, but does not politically express itself in the same way. The central pillar of the doctrine currently dominant in the EU being to prevent repetition of the tragedies of the past, especially wars, which includes avoiding becoming a political power in the old sense. This chapter proposes that this political thought has also influenced the way technological risks are considered (Precautionary Principle) while benefits are sometimes ignored, such as those of plant biotechnology. The April 2021 EU Commission report on gene editing is discussed as an example of postmodern framing.