Asian and European Roots of Bioethics

Abstract

"For millennia the concept of respect, cultural and moral, for all forms of life has been an essential part of major cultural traditions. But the modern term of ‘bioethics’ first was developed in 1927 by German Protestant pastor, Fritz Jahr, in Halle an der Saale 1927. Taking issue with Kant’s Categorical Imperative on one side and dogmatic Buddhist teaching on the other side, Jahr defines a Bioethical Imperative: ‘Respect every living being on principle as a goal in itself and treat it, if possible, as such!’ He details the concept of bioethics: respect for plants and animals, respect for fellow humans, respect for one’s own life, in particular in accepting the obligation to take good care for one’s health and the health of the family and community. Recognizing institutions as quasi living beings with their own internal metabolism, shortcomings, powers and forms of life, he sketches out a model for institutional and corporate profiles and ethics"