GESTIÓN EN SALUD PÚBLICA: BioEdge: Kiss-and-make-up proposed for philosophy and science

domingo, 10 de marzo de 2019

BioEdge: Kiss-and-make-up proposed for philosophy and science

BioEdge: Kiss-and-make-up proposed for philosophy and science

Bioedge

Kiss-and-make-up proposed for philosophy and science

by Michael Cook | 10 Mar 2019 |

Many philosophers and scientists do not believe that their fields overlap or complement each other, despite a long history of fruitful interaction. This is a situation in need of a change, according to an article in PNAS by several philosophers and scientists from France, the UK and the US. As an epigraph, they cite a 1944 letter by Albert Einstein:

A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This independence created by philosophical insight is—in my opinion—the mark of distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth.

The authors point out that interaction between science and philosophy can take place in four ways: “the clarification of scientific concepts, the critical assessment of scientific methods, the formulation of new concepts and theories, and the fostering of dialogue between different sciences, as well as between science and society”. Curiously, none of their examples involve ethics, but the larger points they make about mutually enriching collaboration also apply to bioethics.

They make several specific suggestions for promoting this interaction: philosophical input at scientific conferences; hosting philosophers in scientific labs and departments; co-supervising PhD students; creating new curricula designed to create a dialogue; journal clubs; and philosophy sections in science journals.

Michael Cook is editor of BioEdge.

It often takes a newsworthy tragedy to make us think deeply about difficult ethical issues. One example is our lead story this week. The parents of a brain-damaged West Point cadet, Peter Zhu, asked a court to order a hospital to retrieve his sperm so that the family name can be carried on. No sooner said than done. Justice John P. Colangelo, of the New York Supreme Court, Ninth Judicial District, directed Westchester Medical Center to collect the sperm and have it stored. A court hearing will be held on March 21.

The outcome of this case will be interesting, partly because it pits ethics based on family ties against ethics based on personal autonomy. Peter’s parents know that they cannot get their son back, but they believe that they have a right to a possible child to carry on the family name. But bioethicists point out that grandparents do not have a right to a grandchild and that Peter never consented to such a procedure. A family's tragic loss is shaping up as a clash of cultures, collective versus individualistic, Asian versus Western.