A Cross-Cultural Perspective on the Relationship Between Science and Bioethics

Abstract

"This paper attempts to address an emerging debate regarding whether science can provide objective grounds for resolving cross-cultural differences on bioethical issues, such as organ transplants and global warming.; On one side are arguments which suggest that if science could only provide us with a precise understanding of the issue at hand, cultural differences over morality could be transcended and a universal moral code established.; On the other side are relativist counterarguments which suggest that since ethical decision-making is purely a matter of personal or cultural choice, there can never be a universal morality.; Rather than defend either side in this debate, I would suggest as an alternative that while ethical decision-making across cultures can indeed be informed by science, science itself cannot arbitrate cross-cultural ethical disputes.; I will argue that since science and ethics are both cultural phenomena, the strategy of appealing to scientific evidence to resolve cross-cultural differences on ethics is fundamentally flawed.; I will further argue, however, that relativism can be avoided by adopting a constructivist approach to cross-cultural dialogue. Since my concerns are with cross-cultural methodology rather than with the specific issues of organ transplants or global warming, I will try to cast my arguments in a way that applies generally to the field of bioethics."