Ethical statements and position papers on genome editing often refer to “the public” that should get involved, and a public discussion that should take place. It is not self-evident what this reference to the public means and why such a public engagement should take place. This chapter explores the concept of the public as discussed in key position papers on genome editing and puts it into relationship with the notion of the public in political theory. The fuzzy notion of the (...) public is presented in these statements on genome editing as a tool to solve problems and to allow for hitherto unheard points of view to be considered. It is sometimes understood as a general tool for reciprocal education and social self-determination. Other times still it is used in an instrumental way to gain public support and foster an environment friendly to research and innovation. There is disagreement about the aims, the reason, and the norms guiding public discussion and the possibility of a neutral form of communication. Last but not least awareness is required for the way the public debate is framed by the very use of “genome” and “editing” rather than other concepts. (shrink)

The intensified nurse migration leads to severe problems for the health care systems in many developing countries. Using the Philippines as an example, this paper will address the question of global nurse migration from a philosophical perspective. John Rawls' liberal and Michael Walzer's communitarian theory of justice will be examined in view of the ethical problem of nurse migration. In line with Rawls' A Theory of Justice, nurse migration undermines the ability of the people in developing countries to make use (...) of their basic rights and liberties. Walzer's communitarian assessment of nurse migration, on the other hand, will stress the shared ‘thin’ morality, as well as the shared history between the ‘donating’ and receiving countries. This paper argues that the commonality of a shared history and common values implies the moral obligation to ensure a fairer distribution of nurses. (shrink)

Ein Topos in institutionellen Stellungnahmen zu „Genome Editing am Menschen“ ist die Forderung nach einem Moratorium. Dieses soll einerseits dazu dienen, zu einer angemessenen Risikoabklärung zu gelangen, und andererseits einer gesellschaftlichen und ethischen Diskussion hinreichend Raum zu geben, um zu entscheiden, ob die vom Moratorium betroffenen Eingriffe überhaupt grundsätzlich erwünscht sind. Dabei scheint das Moratorium eine kompromisshafte Lösung zu sein, auf die sich die Mitglieder in weltanschaulich pluralen Ethikgremien verständigen können. Die Analyse der zu Genome Editing in den Jahren 2015 (...) bis 2018 verfassten Stellungnahmen zeigt jedoch ein deutlich komplexeres Bild: Was als konsensuale Kompromissformel erscheint, stellt sich als vielfach konflikthaftes Lösungsmodell dar. Umstritten ist in den unterschiedlichen Moratoriumsmodellen der Umfang (was alles ist vom Moratorium betroffen?), die Dauer (gibt es ein konkretes Datum, bis zu dem das Moratorium gilt?), der Zweck (dient es bloß der Risikoabschätzung oder auch der ethischen und/oder gesamtgesellschaftlichen Diskussion?) und die Frage, was für eine Maßnahme am Ende des Moratoriums getroffen werden soll. Zudem ist zwischen impliziten und expliziten Moratorien zu unterscheiden und zu untersuchen, was mit dem Moratoriumsvorschlag jeweils nicht verursacht werden soll (zum Beispiel die Grundlagenforschung einschränken). Am Ende der ethischen Analyse zeigt sich, dass mit klarer bestimmten Moratoriumsforderungen ein stärkeres Bewusstsein des Aufschub-Charakters dieser spezifischen Empfehlung einhergeht. So lässt sich auch das Ethos der Verantwortlichkeit – gegenüber jetzt Lebenden sowie künftigen Generationen – besser realisieren. (shrink)

"Ist der Patient ein Mensch?" is a collection of articles. Its central topic is the question if the object of modern medicine is still the human being or if just organs and tissues are treated by medical doctors? The drawing on the book cover shows a lung instead of a human patient lying in a hospital bed. The approaches to this topic are diverse and surprising. E.g. the surgeon Ankersmit argues that it is impossible for him to see the human (...) being in the body lying on the operation table because then he would be unable to perform his work professionally. Other texts stretch the topic of the book to the questions whether medical doctors are human beings or if the human being of today is a "patient" in the sense of a current crisis of anthropology. Also questions like patient autonomy and communication with patients are tackled. The book is edited by Helmut Hofbauer, Lukas Kaelin, Hendrik Jan Ankersmit & Walter Feigl. Authors are: Lukas Kaelin, Gabriele Baumann, Hendrik Jan Ankersmit, Renate Heinz, Claus G. Krenn, Alexander Lapin, Sigrid Pilz, Margot Ham-Rubisch, Petra Herzeg, Klaus Spiess, Lucie Strecker, Paul Ferstl, Helmut Hofbauer & Peter Kampits. (shrink)

Die Existenz von Organismen wird allgemein in Form eines Lebenszyklus dargestellt: Sie führt vom Stadium der Zygote über die Fortpflanzungsfähigkeit und das Alter bis zum Tod. Das Leben eines Individuums wird daher wesentlich als irreversibel von der Geburt bzw. der Entstehung auf den Tod gerichtet verstanden. Die philosophische Tradition hat lange Zeit versucht, wenn nicht diese Irreversibilität zu erklären, so doch zumindest ihr einen Sinn zu geben.

Strategien der Angstbewältigung sind abhängig davon, was unter dem Phänomen der Angst verstanden wird. Als eines der grundlegendsten psychischen Phänomene ist die Angst ein Untersuchungsgegenstand unterschiedlicher Disziplinen, die dabei ihre jeweils eigenen Zugänge haben. Das interdisziplinäre Handbuch der Angst beispielsweise beschreibt in der Abteilung »Epistemologie der Angst« nicht weniger als elf unterschiedliche Disziplinen, die sich der Angst widmen: Theologie, Philosophie, Psychologie, Phänomenologie, Soziologie, Ethnologie, Politik, Ökonomie, Ökologie, Gender-Theorie und Biologie der Angst.

Ambiguity is inherent in the concept of hope especially when used in the field of politics. While a functionalist view of politics can only understand hope in terms of manipulation, an Aristotelian view of politics may require hope for its operation. The ambiguity of hope, then, is traced to ancient Greek and Roman thought, in Hesiod and Ovid. This ambiguity can also be found in 20th century German philosophy. Ernst Bloch is just as enthusiastic about hope as Theodor W. Adorno (...) is skeptical about it. A reflection on their respective philosophies will lead to a better understanding of the potential and the danger of hope in the political field. (shrink)

What is understood by the term “bioethics” varieswidely. Whereas in Germany the focus of the discussioncentres on biotechnological issues like PreimplantationGenetic Diagnosis , research on human stem cellsand cloning, in Asia the concept is understood morebroadly including among others environmental ethics,animal rights and medical ethics. This article tries to setout the discussion going on in Germany on two ratherdifferent levels: On the one hand, it is a legal discussionon whether research on human stem cell should beallowed and whether to put (...) forward PGD. On the otherhand, this discussion is entangled with a highlyspeculative discussion on the issue of manipulation thehuman genes – if ever possible – in order to improve thehuman genes. The main aim of giving this account ofthe ongoing deliberations in Germany is to introducethis discussion to the Asian context in order to enrich thediscourse in bioethics going on here. (shrink)

This paper examines the question of the universality of bioethical norms by contrasting the UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights with aspects of Filipino bioethics. Starting with an exploration of the vagueness of the concept and scope of bioethics, this paper will in turn discuss the UDBHR and distinguish it from key notions in Filipino bioethics. The outlook of Filipino bioethics that I have observed differs significantly from the UDBHR emphasis on the principles autonomy and justice. This discrepancy leads (...) to some reflections on the culturality of bioethics and on the nature of bioethics in the Philippines. Filipino bioethics as a test case shows the embeddedness of bioethical questions in the cultural context as well as the Western biased scope and content of the UDBHR. This conclusion, however, does not rule out a universalistic approach to bioethics, but it asks to reconsider the culturally biased outlook of its presumably universalistic principles. (shrink)

This paper examines the question of the universality of bioethical norms by contrasting the UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights with aspects of Filipino bioethics. Starting with an exploration of the vagueness of the concept and scope of bioethics, this paper will in turn discuss the UDBHR and distinguish it from key notions in Filipino bioethics. The outlook of Filipino bioethics that I have observed differs significantly from the UDBHR emphasis on the principles autonomy and justice. This discrepancy leads (...) to some reflections on the culturality of bioethics and on the nature of bioethics in the Philippines. Filipino bioethics as a test case shows the embeddedness of bioethical questions in the cultural context as well as the Western biased scope and content of the UDBHR. This conclusion, however, does not rule out a universalistic approach to bioethics, but it asks to reconsider the culturally biased outlook of its presumably universalistic principles. (shrink)

The debate about the direction, coherence and possible imperialism of universal norms in global bioethics has been going on for years. Proponents of universal norms have fiercely stated their cases focusing on human rights, autonomy and/or further principles in bioethics. Equally forceful has been the opposition to such universal principles arguing mainly on grounds of cultural diversity. The alternative is commonly presented as one between moral relativism and moral imperialism; solutions that are equally unattractive. This paper suggests a way forward (...) for global bioethics by focusing on techniques of moral deliberation as well as on the specific social context from which moral dilemma arises. Such focus will show that the alternative between moral relativism and imperialism only arises when an unreflected notion of medical ethics is applied. The way forward for global bioethics is to acknowledge the way medical ethics is connected to a specific medical practice and to examine its cultural and conceptual foundation rather than insisting on context independent principles.If it is already doubtful whether bioethics exists, it is even more dubious for global bioethics. For almost two decades, discussion over such issue has been going on with hardly any progress. Some uphold the famous four principles as the universal standard; others would like to modify them while still hoping for universality; still others challenge the very notion of universality in the field of medical ethics. The discussion is trapped in a variety of antagonisms: between universalism and particularism, between liberalism and communitarism, between principalism and case-based-bioethics. This paper suggests a way forward beyond these antagonisms by asking about the very nature of medical ethics. First, however, we need to take a closer look on the issue at stake: the quest for a global bioethics and the debate over the identity of medical ethics. (shrink)

A recent joint study by the Council of Europe and the United Nations focused on the criminality surrounding organ donations. Published in October 2009, it points out the various violations of the international prohibition on the trafficking of organs. This paper will first analyze this study and then contextualize it in the current discourse about organ donation in the Philippines. Finally, the issue of organ donation will be put in the wider discourse of justice in organ transplantation.Organ donation and trafficking (...) are much debated issues in medical ethics. This paper will discuss this problematic in three specific dimensions. After an explanation of the general lines of the debate on organ transplantation , it will analyze the recently published joint report of the Council of Europe and the United Nation on the trafficking of organs . The discussion afterwards will be situated in the concrete cultural, ethical and legal framework of the Philippines as a test case for the validity and applicability of the reports recommendation . Lastly, it will conclude with some ethical considerations on the horizon of an elaborate concept of justice. (shrink)

Menschen leben ihr Leben in Beziehung mit anderen Menschen. Nicht zuletzt die Art und Weise, in der der Mensch mit anderen Menschen verkehrt, macht das Wesen des Menschen aus. Wie aus einer berühmten Passage aus der Politik des Aristoteles hervorgeht, zeichnet den Menschen die Zugehörigkeit zur Gemeinschaft der Polis aus: »Wer aber keine Gemeinschaft eingehen kann, oder einer solchen, weil er sich selbst genug ist, nicht bedarf, ist kein Glied des Staates, vielmehr entweder ein wildes Thier, oder ein Gott«. Gemeinschaft (...) setzt Fähigkeit zur personalen Bindung mit anderen Menschen voraus. (shrink)

The public sphere plays a crucial role in the functioning of liberal democracy. As a sphere conceived ideally independent of state control and economic influence, it serves as the sounding board of social and political concerns, where communications take place, ideas are exchanged, and arguments are put forward. The liberal notion of the public sphere relies on values such as inclusivity, transparency, equality, and rationality. This paper explores the limits of the liberal notion of the public sphere by looking into (...) the recent media transformation, which blurry the boundary between public and private, change the form and content of the circulation of information, and are decoupling the communicative from the political realm. Taken together these media transformation ask for a reconsideration of the dominant model of the public sphere. (shrink)

The paper attempts to philosophically assess the recent U.S. presidential race and to look at some aspects of the underlying beliefs of Barack Obama that aided him in his campaign. The philosophical framework used in order to interpret the political events are mainly from the Critical Theory of Theodor W. Adorno and the neo-Marxist approach of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. Further observations will concentrate on the logic and attraction of the electoral process and the dialectical logic of Sarah Palin’s (...) statements. The first part will discuss the form of U.S. electoral politics, especially the perpetual campaign, whereas the second part will put the policies of the next U.S. president into a philosophical context. (shrink)