Abstract

This chapter examines how art and science affect each other in the realm of bioterrorism, and what ethical stance scientists and physicians working in this arena—filled with worst-case biological attack scenarios—should adopt. In particular, it explores how scientific research has been affected by national security concerns and how bioart has been employed to draw the public into debates about the limits of national security as an excuse for secrecy in science. It considers two cases involving scientists and the lessons they suggest about the narrow focus that worst-case scenario thinking can induce in criminal investigations involving suspected bioterrorism activities: one involves Thomas Butler and the other Steve Kurtz. It also discusses the interrelationships between bioterrorism, bioethics, and science.