This week, we will reflect on a recent article that covers several microbiological concepts we have recently been covering in class, called “Deeply Connected to God’s Good World, the Human Microbiome” (M. Kunnen and C. Carlson, Christian Scholar’s Review, Vol XLVI, No 2 (Winter 2017)). While there are a few biological inaccuracies in this article, many interesting theological and ethical questions are raised and conclusions drawn.
Read the article “Deeply Connected to God’s Good World, the Human Microbiome Download Deeply Connected to God’s Good World, the Human Microbiome” (Check Attachment)
When you’re done reading, in the text entry box or in a word doc (or google doc with a link in the text entry box), please address the following:
1. What was most interesting or insightful about this article to you?
2. Choose one of the following prompts to respond to:
A. The authors of this paper make the claim: “Possibly the most important response of people of faith to the science of metagenomics is to become advocates for wise use of antibiotics” (pg 123). Why might studying metagenomics lead to this conclusion, rather than, for instance, the pervasiveness of antibiotic resistance in pathogens, and do you agree with the authors? What types of considerations should be included in “wise use” of antibiotics (also sometimes known as “antibiotic stewardship”—in other words, what are some of our specific antibiotic practices that should be examined and possibly restricted)?
B. The authors lay out some of the microbial-human relationships that exist, and make the assertion toward the end of the article that these relationships illustrate both the embedded nature of human existence among the living things of earth as well as our interdependence on these living things. What are some of the implications of this idea that we, as humans, are deeply dependent on other living things?
