Publisher's Synopsis
English summary: Did Prometheus invent genetic engineering ? Was Prometheus the founding pioneer of biotechnologies ? Was he the champion in the field of human genome manipulation ?In Aeschylus' tragedy, Prometheus boasts that he has transmitted civilizing techniques to mankind. As sign systems that need deciphering, these tekhnai (crafts) require considerable interpretive skills. It is thus not surprising that contemporary molecular biology should conceive of the processes of human genetics in terms of code to be deciphered, text to be read, or libraries to be consulted. Despite taking into account epigenetic factors and the external environment, however, such metaphors are being used in a determinist way.Couldn't the Hellenist anthropologist's off-centred perspective, supplemented by the linguist's critical insight, allow for further exploration ? Like the practical arts offered to mortals by Prometheus, metaphors related to code and deciphering ultimately lead to procedures of an interpretive nature, in tune with the ambiguities unique to signification processes. The concept of a conjectural multi-determinism is thus preferable to the paradigm of scientistic determinism. Such a paradigm, derived from a hermenutics, would respect the role of chance unique to every human production process. Although cultural practices, life sciences are, in reality, social sciences.
French description: Promethee inventeur du genie genetique? Promethee heros fondateur des biotechnologies? Promethee champion des manipulations du genome humain?Dans la tragedie d'Eschyle, Promethee se vante d'avoir transmis aux hommes des techniques civilisatrices. Systemes de signes a dechiffrer, cestekhnai requierent une habilete interpretative.Des lors, pas de surprise a voir la biologie moleculaire contemporaine penser les processus de la genetique humaine en termes de code a dechiffrer, de texte a lire, de bibliotheque a consulter. Mais, malgre la prise en compte des facteurs epigenetiques et de l'environnement exterieur, ces metaphores sont utilisees dans un sens deterministe.La perspective decentree de l'anthropologue helleniste, doublee du regard critique du linguiste, ne permettrait-elle pas d'aller plus loin? De meme que les arts pratiques offerts aux mortels par Promethee, les metaphores du code et du dechiffrement renvoient en fait a des procedures d'ordre interpretatif, en prise sur les ambiguites propres aux processus de signification. Au paradigme du determinisme scientiste on preferera donc l'idee d'un multideterminisme conjectural. Relevant d'une hermeneutique, ce paradigme respecterait la part de hasard propre a tout processus de fabrication de l'homme. Pratiques de culture, les sciences du vivant sont, de fait, des sciences humaines.
