Dennis R. Cooley, associate professor of philosophy and ethics, had his book, "Technology, Transgenics and a Practical Moral Code," published by Springer Publishing in the Netherlands. The book is included in The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology series.
In the book, Cooley proves that a pragmatic solution to the problem of technology development outpacing moral inquiry into the technology is to develop a practical moral code that can be used to evaluate any technological development before it happens. In ensuring this code’s wide-ranging applicability, Cooley has designed it to include moral principles and a hierarchical value theory created from a combination of the best elements of Kant’s and Mill’s ethical theories and applied ethics, including environmental, bioethics and business ethics, and how people actually think about practical morality in their everyday lives.
Cooley also examines and offers solutions to a number of problematic views in current technology debates after examining each view in much greater detail than is currently available.
"By taking seriously C.L. Stevenson’s claim that philosophy should be informed by all the sciences, this work’s pragmatic code is designed to solve problems, rather than create or foster them," Cooley said.