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Soraj Hongladarom

Bioethics Education in Southeast Asia and Europe

A Reflection on the ASEAN-EU LEMLIFE Project

Development of a curriculum on bioethics

The ASEAN-EU LEMLIFE Project
A Collaborative International Training Programme in Law, Ethics and Management in the Life Sciences
external linkWebsite


Contact Person:

Dr. Soraj Hongladarom
Department of Philosophy
Faculty of Arts
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok 10330
Thailand
Tel. +66 (2) 218 47 56
Fax +66 (2) 218 47 55
emailEmail
1 During the two-year period from the beginning of 2004 to the end of 2005, I teamed up with colleagues from seven other universities to undertake the ASEAN-EU LEMLIFE Project, which received a grant from the European Commission under the ASEAN-EU University Network Programme (AUNP). The purpose of the project was to develop a curriculum on bioethics which could be used in institutions of higher learning, especially in Southeast Asia. The eight universities that were part of the project were: Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), Vietnam National University, University of the Philippines, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Lancaster University (UK), Lüneburg University, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (both Germany) and University of the Basque Country (Spain). The first four clearly are from ASEAN and the latter four from the EU. There were approximately twelve original members, and the exact number of participants went up and down according to who was available to join the project during each period of time. The names of the participants and other details about the project can be found at its website, which is now integrated with that of the newly founded Center for Ethics of Science and Technology, Chulalongkorn University.
2 The main rationale behind this curriculum development project was the awareness that understanding of socio-cultural contexts does not keep pace with the rapid advances of science and technology. Today's advances in the life sciences and biotechnology have been astounding, and the growth of these disciplines has been exponential. Who would have thought just a few years ago that the cloning of mammals, genetic modification of organisms and stem cell research would be topics of everyday conversations? Until very recently these topics were mere science fiction. Many countries, especially those in Asia, are now trying very hard to ›catch up‹ in order to receive their share of the tremendous benefits that these advances will purportedly bring. Thailand, for example, has invested a huge amount of money in creating new centers of research and has talked incessantly about biotechnology being key to future prosperity. This may or may not be true, but it is indicative of the huge amount of interest being paid to attempts to push back scientific and technological barriers. In contrast, there seems to be a lack of proper care and attention allotted to questions about the kind of impacts these advances will have once they have become part of the societies and cultures in which they are embedded. Questions about the ethical considerations surrounding these advances, as well as how to address these considerations in a systematic and meaningful way, are similarly overlooked.
3 Furthermore, these questions are not only relevant to those in Asia. In Europe, where in general advances in biotechnology and life sciences have been greater, there is also this need to gain a clearer understanding of how science, technology, society and culture are interconnected. The main thrust of the project, then, is to create an awareness in the population, both in Asia and Europe, that science and technology are not autonomous domains that can remain aloof from socio-cultural contexts, and, consequently, that any academic attempts to address this issue have to be interdisciplinary in nature. The emergence of bioethics as an academic discipline is a result of this need to bring together aspects of various disciplines in order to solve common problems. In order to thoroughly understand how science and technology are related to their socio-cultural contexts, and how these issues can be properly addressed in an academic way (that is through teaching and researching in educational institutions), many different academic disciplines have to work together as one team, one unit. This kind of cooperation, however, has not been the norm in many places, especially in Thailand, where the traditional Weberian, bureaucratic mindset has permeated the university, resulting in deeply entrenched barriers separating one academic discipline from another. The attempt at bringing down restrictive barriers between disciplines was one of the not-so-hidden aims of the project.

Achievements of the project

Center for Ethics of Science and Technology
Faculty of Arts
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok 10330
Thailand
Tel. +66 (2) 218 47 56
Fax +66 (2) 218 47 55
external linkWebsite
4 The achievements of the two year project period are quite varied. We met formally four times—twice in Bangkok, once in Berlin and once in Bilbao. The participants developed close working relationships and the atmosphere was very cordial and friendly. The main output of the project is a book containing course syllabi that can be used to teach a course in bioethics at educational institutions, not necessarily only at Chulalongkorn University, where the project is based. The book is due to be completed before the end of 2006 and will be published by the Center for Ethics of Science and Technology. Apart from this, the project has published four newsletters in Thai. The aim was to create an awareness of bioethical issues in the Thai public and the newsletters were warmly received. More than 2,000 copies were distributed and there is a definite plan to continue publishing the newsletters. Another important indicator of the project's success and impact is the establishment of the Center for Ethics of Science and Technology at Chulalongkorn University. This is a research center whose objectives include acting as a focal point for research on ethical issues surrounding science, technology and related areas and continuing the momentum created by the LEMLIFE project, mainly through its website and published newsletters, and other publications. All the publications of the project can be found at its website.
Biotechnology, Culture, and Human Values in Asia and Beyond
8th Asian Bioethics Conference
Bangkok (Thailand)
19-23 March 2007
external linkWebsite
5 As the LEMLIFE project is in essence a curriculum development project, a necessary output is the proposal of a course of study. This output has just been completed. A draft program for a Masters of Arts degree in bioethics at Chulalongkorn University is another important output of the project, and as of now the university is deliberating on how best to implement the program. Before long it will receive its first group of students. The program has been designed from the start to be an international one. This means the language of instruction will be English, and it will attempt to bring in students from neighboring countries as well as further afield to mix with Thai students in order to create a network of bioethically aware graduates, who will become a force for the future.
6 Another result of the project is that the Center for Ethics of Science and Technology will organize the Eighth Asian Bioethics Conference from March 19 to 23, 2007 at Chulalongkorn University. This is the conference of the Asian Bioethics Association, an important meeting place for bioethicists and philosophers who are concerned with bioethical issues in Asia and elsewhere in the world. Anybody who is interested can look up more information about the conference from its website.

Bioethics and intercultural philosophy

7 Before I end this report, I would like to conclude with a reflection on the relationship of bioethics with intercultural philosophy. Considerations of culture have been very important in bioethics, and indeed bioethics and culture are important topics, with strong practical impacts. Philosophy is the core of bioethics, for bioethics is nothing if not a normative and conceptual investigation of issues, which is what philosophy is all about. And culture, as the sum total of a group of human beings' meaning making and interpretive activities, has a large role to play in philosophy. Many practical topics in bioethics are related to culture, such as cultural considerations of issues like stem cell research, cloning and so on. However, many works in the area are informed more by the idea that normative objectivity cannot be found and all that can be done is a descriptive work detailing what each culture ›has to say‹ on certain bioethical issues. For me, this is a sad situation because to do so means giving up all hope for normative objectivity. I believe it is the task of intercultural philosophy to insist on this point, both in bioethics and in other areas of philosophy.
polylog: Forum for Intercultural Philosophy 6 (2005).
Online: http://agd.polylog.org/6/phs-en.htm
ISSN 1616-2943
Author: Soraj Hongladarom, Bangkok (Thailand)
© 2005 Author & polylog e.V.
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