Unlike many other decisions of the latter Bush, establishing the President’s Council on Bioethics was unambiguously an excellent idea. The work of the Council–serious, thoughtful examination of the bioethical challenges of our day–was of the highest order. Predictably, its circumspect attitude towards genetic engineering and stem-cell research earned it the wrath of techno-progressives of every stripe. “Put science back into the hands of scientists!” was the hue and cry of the malcontents. The implication of course was that Bush’s commission was indulging in irrelevant religious and theoretical musings. How dare President Bush and his advisory board impede the progress of mankind!

Unfortunately, President Obama seems to buy into the same conceit. He disbanded the Council and has now instituted a new one of a decidedly different character. The new commission, as some have noted, has a technocratic, rubber-stamp air to it. Its business will surely be to promote scientific advances and not wallow needlessly in such banal and arcane quests such as employing pre-modern philosophy to explore human dignity or the limits of medical enhancement. Science has its own authority, not to be questioned by non-experts such as philosophers or theologians.

But a real public conversation about bioethics is sadly lacking today. The advance of medical technologies really does raise questions about the nature of human beings. In the not-so-distant future, the distinctions between man, machine, and animal could really become quite blurred. One could just assume that all progress is good and dismiss critics as “bioconservatives”–meet the transhumanists–or one could engage in a serious discourse. It’s a shame that President Obama neglects the opportunity to delve into serious and urgent philosophical issues, instead favoring a vague notion of a “neutral” science, as if such a thing were even possible.

(For those interested in this topic, be sure to check out the dedicated New Atlantis blog for smart coverage of the latest debates.)