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Playing God

The Rock Opera That Endeavors to Become a Bioethics Education Tool

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2014

TUIJA TAKALA ,
MATTI HÄYRY  and
LAURENCE LAING
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Abstract:

This article describes and introduces a new innovative tool for bioethics education: a rock opera on the ethics of genetics written by two academics and a drummer legend. The origin of the idea, the characters and their development, and the themes and approaches as well as initial responses to the music and the show are described, and the various educational usages are explored.

Keywords

bioethics educationmusicgeneticspopularizing science
Type
Bioethics Education
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 188 - 199
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

Notes

1. Häyry, M. Rationality and the Genetic Challenge: Making People Better? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2010.Google Scholar

2. E.g., Häyry, M, Takala, T. Genetic engineering and the risk of harm. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 1998;1:61–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed; Takala, T. The right to genetic ignorance confirmed. Bioethics 1999;13:288–93Google Scholar; Takala, T, Häyry, M. Genetic ignorance, moral obligations and social duties. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 2000;25:107–13Google Scholar; Takala, T, Gylling, H. Who should know about our genetic makeup and why? Journal of Medical Ethics 2000;26:171–4Google Scholar; Häyry, M. But what if we feel that cloning is wrong? Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2001;10:205–8Google Scholar; Takala, T. Genetic ignorance and reasonable paternalism. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2001;22:485–91CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed; Häyry, M, Takala, T. Genetic information, rights, and autonomy. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2001;22:403–14Google Scholar; Takala, T. Genetic knowledge and our conception of ourselves as persons. In: Thomasma, DC, Weisstub, DN, Hervé, C, eds. Personhood and Health Care. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic; 2001:91–7Google Scholar; Häyry, M, Takala, T. Cloning, naturalness and personhood. In: Thomasma, DC, Weisstub, DN, Hervé, C, eds. Personhood and Health Care. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic; 2001:281–98CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Häyry, M. Philosophical arguments for and against human reproductive cloning. Bioethics 2003;17:447–59Google Scholar; Takala, T. The child’s right to an open future and modern genetics. In: Almond, B, Parker, M, eds. Ethical Issues in the New Genetics: Are Genes Us? Aldershot: Ashgate; 2003:39–46Google Scholar; Häyry, M. There is a difference between selecting a deaf embryo and deafening a hearing child. Journal of Medical Ethics 2004;30:510–12Google Scholar; Takala, T. The many wrongs of human reproductive cloning. In: Häyry, M, Herissone-Kelly, P, Takala, T, eds. Bioethics and Social Reality. Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi; 2005:49–62Google Scholar; Takala, T, Häyry, M. Benefiting from past wrongdoing, human embryonic stem cell lines, and the fragility of the German legal position. Bioethics 2007;21:150–9Google Scholar; Takala, T. Setting a dangerous precedent? Ethical issues in human genetic database research. Medical Law International 2007;8:105–37Google Scholar; Häyry, M. Considerable life extension and three views on the meaning of life. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2011;20:21–9Google Scholar; Cloning, Takala T.. In: Chadwick, R, ed. Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics. Vol. 1. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2012:488–93.Google Scholar

3. Coggon, J, ed. Methodology in philosophical bioethics [special section]. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2011;20(2):159–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

4. A concept album is a studio recording in which all music and lyrics serve a unified story or theme. A rock opera is a concept album with a story in the manner of classical opera. A rock opera may or may not be performed on stage.

5. As the musical producer of the album, Laing represents Thumper Productions.

6. A medley of the album’s music can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg2LDvNqcjU (last accessed 1 Sept 2013).

7. Information about the project can be found at www.facebook.com/playinggodrocks (last accessed 1 Sept 2013).

8. The callouts in the synopsis refer to the songs of the album. The introductory instrumental piece is “Gods March.”

9. “Luke’s Blues.”

10. “Terrace of the Gods.”

11. “Perfect Boy.”

12. “Tony’s Return.”

13. “College Girls.”

14. “Silent Dream.”

15. “My Brother’s Gonna Die.”

16. “Open Up Your Imagination.”

17. “Here Is Our Blood.”

18. “Jupiter.”

19. “Tim’s Requiem.”

20. “Not Good Enough.”

21. “Father’s Lament.”

22. “Crying Shame.”

23. “Journey.”

24. “Sisterhood.”

25. “Vital Stream.”

26. “Revelations I.”

27. “Meltdown.”

28. “Revelations II.”

29. “Eyes in the Mirror.”

30. “Revelations III.”

31. “Mr. C’s Demise.”

32. “In This World.”

33. Our thanks are due to the audiences in Manchester, Paris, and Basel for their insightful questions and constructive comments.

34. Information about this performance can be found at cambridgebioethics.com/agenda.html (last accessed 1 Sept 2013).

35. The review and interview can be found at www.examiner.com/review/corky-laing-mountain-legendary-drummer-talks-about-brilliant-rock-opera-release?cid=rss (last accessed 1 Sept 2013).

36. This name was possibly short for Lucifer, the light bringer.

37. Savulescu, J. Procreative beneficence: Why we should select the best children. Bioethics 2001;15:413–26.Google Scholar

38. Kass, L. Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics. San Francisco: Encounter Books; 2002.Google Scholar