My body is my fortress: public opinion on biomedical technologies

Abstract

The article has two focal points. The first is understanding of «body tum» in the social sciences in the context of biomedical technologies' development. During the XX century numerous social transformations, often called biomedicalization of society, actualized body issues for sociology. At the same time these conditions of actualization are poorly articulated and little known to researchers. Hence the first objective of this work - to show how the topic of biomedical technologies associates with sociology. According to this the article deals with significant events and changes in the field of medicine and genetics, and describes their impact on the various public institutions. The second focus of the article is the empirical one. It involves the study of social attitudes among the Russians regarding the use of biomedical technologies in everyday life. ISSEK mass survey allowed us to define the extent to which modern technological innovation can be perceived by people as part of their daily practices. Survey results demonstrate population's cautious attitude to biomedical technologies, with a positive attitude to the technological advancements and IT-technologies. It suggests that invasive technologies concerning body modification through biomedical technologies have a special status in the public consciousness. The study of this feature is an important direction for future studies dedicated to the problems of bioethics.