New Pathways for European Bioethics

This book is an edition of papers presented during the international conference New Pathways for European Bioethics, held in Leuven in 2006. This conference aimed to stimulate reflection on current developments in European bioethics, such as the connection between social science and bioethics, care ethics, bioethics and law, and ethics and technology. A common theme in these four topics is the growing interrelationship between disciplines or approaches in bioethics and law. These new developments give rise to a number of questions. Are we moving toward a split between an ethics of technology and an ethics of care? How should we deal with empirical research methods in bioethics? Does an international biolaw exist? These and other questions demand new ethical reflection. This book describes these developments, but its mission goes further than paying close attention; it also intends to critically review them. Since most topics are analysed by leading European ethicists, social scientists, and lawyers, this book stands for the interdisciplinary approach in European bioethics. It offers a rich source of material for reflection for ethicists, lawyers, social scientists, and healthcare practitioners.