Gregory Pence

Gregory E. Pence (born January 17, 1948) is an American philosopher.

Biography Pence graduated cum laude with a B.A. from William and Mary and a Ph.D. from New York University, writing under visiting Australian bioethicist Peter Singer. Pence taught a required course in bioethics for 34 years to 165 medical students at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. In 2006, Samford University awarded him a Pellegrino Medal for achievement in medical ethics. In 2012, he stopped teaching in medical school to chair the UAB Department of Philosophy, which he did until 2018. Since 1995, he has directed at UAB the EMSAP Program (Early Medical and Dental School Acceptance Program).

His well-known work defending human cloning has labeled him a rebel in popular culture. Some critics, especially GreenPeace of Europe, consider him an apologist for the safety of GM foods. As displayed in his many books on human cloning (Who's Afraid of Cloning, etc.), he is one of the few bioethicists who believes that human cloning should not be banned but rather accepted in modern society as a future tool for creating wanted children. In 2001, Pence testified before the US Congress against a bill that would have criminalized all aspects of human cloning. His many books, and over 70 op-ed essays, explain his views about assisted reproduction, human cloning, and various topics in bioethics.

In 2015, he was invited to write for "American National Biography" the official biography of agricultural pioneer Norman Borlaug, a strong defender of genetically modified food.

His textbook, Medical Ethics, one of the field's standards, was 34 years old in 2024, now in its 10th edition. At UAB, he won major teaching awards, including the Ingall's and President's. He coached the UAB team that in 2010 won the national championship of the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl., and UAB teams that won the national championship of the Bioethics Bowl in 2011 at Duke University, in 2015 at Florida State University. and in 2019 at the University of South Alabama. In 2024, he became the first recipient of the Outstanding Service Award for the Bioethics Bowl.

His 2002 and 2020 tradebooks Designer Food and Overcoming Addiction were named Outstanding Academic Books by CHOICE magazine. In 2019, his university awarded him its Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction. In 2024, its Alumni Society chose him for its Honorary Faculty Award.

In 2025 he started the first weekly YouTube channel by a philosopher, Great Stories in Bioethics.

Publications

Books Pence has authored the following books:

2nd ed. 1995 , Internet Archive 3rd ed. 2000 4th ed. 2004 , Internet Archive 5th ed. 2008 , Internet Archive 6th ed. 2011 7th ed. 2015 8th ed. 2017 10th ed. 2024

He has co-authored one book with G. Lynn Stephens:

He has edited three books:

Op-Ed Essays

A few of Pence's op-ed essays: