Calculating Human Biology. Enactments of human identity in bioinformatics

Abstract

Introduction Bioinformatics is becoming an increasingly important and integral part of biology and the life sciences. This has repercussions on how science is practiced in these disciplines. As a facilitating discipline, bioinformatics often remains in the background, which means that its share in the research is often underexposed. As a result, the values of bioinformatics are not always clearly visible. This can concern both the values that arise from bioinformatics itself, such as views of organisms and therefore also people as a networked, measurable unit, and values that manifest themselves within biology through bioinformatics, such as classifications based on race and ethnicity. In this thesis, with a focus on human identity, I try to make visible the role that bioinformatics plays in these processes. The concept of information in contemporary biology Chapter 2 examines the role of the concept of information in contemporary biology and the criticism of the recent past that the concept of information promotes genetic determinism. This is particularly problematic in relation to conceptions of human identity. The focus is on the increased complexity of thinking about genetics that is partly related to the increasing role of bioinformatics in biology and the life sciences. What I show in this chapter is that the concept of information as it is currently used is spreading to other parts of cellular processes, partly due to the aforementioned changes. As a result, there is room to use the term in a non-genetic-deterministic way. Despite this possibility, the connection with genetic determinism is often still strong in practice. The human body as measurable and part of a network Chapter 3 examines the role bioinformatics plays in the way the human body is approached in biology. The focus is primarily on the way in which the body is approached in bioinformatics itself. What I show in this chapter is that this is a very particular approach, namely an approach to the body as part of a network, which in turn itself breaks down into parts that form a network connected to and through computers, databases and the Internet. DNA sequences form the connections of the body to this network. Moreover, the body is approached as a measurable unit based on its networked character: through the genetic and to a lesser extent also protein sequences, the body can be predicted and ultimately manipulated. This also affects what is seen as ‘normal’ body. Reference sequences provide an optimized picture of the body, with respect to which deviations are determined. It is not the average body that is the norm, but the optimal. Embedded values in the tools of bioinformatics Chapter 4 examines the role bioinformatics plays in biology research in which sensitive issues play a role, such as categorizing people based on origin. What I show in this chapter is that bioinformatics can play an important role in this research because, as facilitator of the infrastructure, it has an important influence on the basis of research in the form of, for example, databases and software. This infrastructure is not neutral but carries the values that arise from the assumptions and ideas on which it is built. Moreover, because computers are seen as more neutral than humans, the role they play is often seen as value-free. Responsibilities of bioinformatics Chapter 5 examines the responsibilities of bioinformatics in the light of findings in the earlier chapters. Because of its role in the background, bioinformatics often ‘escapes’ the discussions about the responsibilities of researchers. This kind of discussion is more about how the services and tools of bioinformatics are used for further research. The previous chapters show that bioinformatics practices do play a role in matters that affect the sensitivities of biological research. This means that bioinformatics as a discipline and practice also bears a responsibility. Taking on this responsibility is associated with the maturation of bioinformatics as a valued discipline. With recognition of responsibility, there is room for explicit reflection on research practices. I advocate embedding this reflection in the process of research. Conclusion With the increasing complexity of research in biology and the life sciences, bioinformatics is becoming an increasingly important hub of research and interaction in these disciplines. This not only has consequences for research, but also to a large extent for the values that manifest themselves in the research of these disciplines. Rather than being seen as a neutral technology, it is therefore important that the contributions of bioinformatics to the results of the research and in particular the more sensitive discussions are included in critical considerations of this research. In the context of identity, taking responsibility means placing more emphasis on the complexity of identity and thus preventing existing harmful simplifications from being presented as biological fact. This assumes that the form of identity takes in the choices made in bioinformatics research practices is considered, which requires reflection as an integral part of these practices.