CRISPR, APGAR and Cancer Screening: Public Engagement, Controversy and Misaligned Values

There are many calls for public engagement in decision-making around controversial technologies, but far fewer calls for public engagement in deliberation around less controversial interventions. We think the public should be involved in discussing CRISPR, but not in discussing APGAR. Drawing on the case of debates over cancer screening, this paper argues we have things the wrong way around. Given the complex entanglement of fact and value, it is very hard to have high-quality public deliberation over novel technologies. By contrast, it is easier to have deliberation over more mundane technologies. There is, then, good reason to think we should engage in more public deliberation over mundane technologies. The results of this deliberation can then be used in more high-profile cases.