將滅絕物種重新帶回這個世界,是復活生物學企圖執行的工作。而隨著近年來基因編輯技術的快速發展,去滅絕的研究也逐步從科幻層級提昇到了所謂的科學事實層級。然而,這樣的科學實踐,到底呈現了什麼?是科學家真的讓已滅絕物種復活了?還是聲稱去滅絕已成功,只是一個過早(premature)的主張?本文企圖從「滅絕」與「去滅絕」的定義,以及「物種成員」與「物種本身」所涉及的概念區分著手,論證聲稱去滅絕已成功,是一個仍有待商確的主張。而此論證的核心觀點為,斷定科學家對已滅絕物種的複製(clone)是否屬於或者不屬於已滅絕物種,並無法決定科學家是否真的讓已滅絕物種復活。
Resurrection biology aims to bring extinct species back to life. With the rapid development of gene-editing technologies in recent years, the idea of de-extinction has gradually been recognized as a potentially realizable scientific goal rather than residing in the realm of science fiction. What might de-extinction mean? Will it entail scientists actually reviving extinct species, or is the notion as yet premature? This paper argues that de-extinction is as yet not possible given the definitions of extinction and de-extinction, and the distinction between species taxa and species categories. The central argument is that the judgment of whether or not a cloned organism properly belongs to an extinct species will not be the determining factor in whether or not scientists successfully revive extinct species.