new journal

There's a new journal out from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, called The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology & Society. Here's its mission:

The New Atlantis is an effort to clarify the nation’s moral and political understanding of all areas of technology—from stem cells to hydrogen cells to weapons of mass destruction. We hope to make sense of the larger questions surrounding technology and human nature, and the practical questions of governing and regulating science—especially where the moral stakes are high and the political divides are deep.

We also hope to stir things up—to challenge policymakers who know too little about science, and to push scientists who often fail to think seriously or deeply about the ethical and social implications of their work.

The magazine has two basic sections: a series of critical essays and in-depth reporting pieces, and an ongoing survey of technology and society that provides brief commentary on the major scientific advances and political debates as they happen.

This much seems clear: Technology will be central to the future of American life and American politics. It will create new political divides and new moral quandaries. It will force liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, to rethink their guiding principles and political vision. The New Atlantis hopes to be at the center of redefining politics for the technological age—by helping scientists, policymakers, and citizens deal more wisely and more creatively with the promise and perils of our nation’s future.

The lead article in the premier issue is by Leon Kass, president of the National Bio-Ethics Council, entitled "Ageless Bodies, Happy Souls," and it is one of many excellent articles.

This is a journal which has great promise, and happily, it is available online.