Progetto P.E.R.L.A.
Project of Europe for Research on Life and
Anthropology
Il progetto mira:
alla valorizzazione delle doti di ricerca e di studio di giovani
studiosi
alla conoscenza ed alla comunicazione fra le giovani generazioni
d'Europa
alla promozione di una cultura bioetica sempre piu' densibile al
valore vita
alla eliminazione delle distanze geografiche e della sfiducia
nelle proprie capacita'
L'ISB si ripromette di sottoscrivere delle convenzioni con almeno
5 Centri di Bioetica di altrettante Nazioni (Spagna - Portogallo
- Francia - Germania - Inghilterra) per attuare in modo periodico
e sistematico uno scambio di borsisti. Con alcuni di questi le
trattative sono gia' avviate.
Mentre un giovane siciliano si reca in Spagna, il centro spagnolo
manda in Sicilia un suo giovane studioso che resterebbe assieme
agli altri 4, portando avanti la sua ricerca e confrontandosi con
loro 2 volte al mese sotto la direzione di un Supervisore.
E cosi' di anno in anno si avrebbe un significativo numero di
studiosi siciliani che si sono scientificamente formati
all'estero e che hanno la possibilita' di continuare a tenere i
rapporti con quei Centri presso cui hanno studiato mediante la
presenza del borsista annuale e di studiosi stranieri che
verranno nell'ISB, e nei borsisti, un punto di riferimento per le
loro ricerche.
La durata della borsa di studio dovrebbe preferibilmente essere
di 6mesi con un preventivo di L. 5.000.000. Questa somma (che al
limite puo' anche dimezzarsi portando a 3 i mesi di permanenza)
dovrebbe permettere il soggiorno del borsista nei locali di
Spuligni e l'acquisto di quelle opere indispensabili per la sua
ricerca che poi andranno ad incrementare il patrimonio librario
della Biblioteca P. Reginaldo Cambareri dell'ISB.
BIOETHICS FROM A MEDITERRANEAN PERSPECTIVE
A Mediterranean Laboratory for Bioethical Culture for the third Millennium Mankind
Salvatore Privitera *
Professor for Moraltheology at the Theological Faculty of Sicily
Director of Sicilian Institut of
Bioethics and of "Bioetica e Cultura"
1. The historical and theological point of view
In the recent past theological faculties for several reasons could not ignore the bioethical phenomenon wich was emerging everywhere in the world. The bioethics reflection was putting the accent over a whole of values, first of all the value of life, that where and are extremely important for the single human being and for all the mankind and theology could not ignore the attention for the value of life. This value, as life of the human being and as value of all the beings in the world, is from a theological point of view, as well as from an ethical point of view, the most fundamental value which we have in the world.
According to the Constitution Gaudium et Spes of the II Vatican Council and to the Ecclesiam Suam of Pope Paul VI, the Catholic Church has the responsability to dialogue with the contemporary world and bioethics was offering the ideal field to establish and to continue the dialogue.
It is impossible to dialogue about religious problems with people who are not believers and it is very difficult to dialogue among people of different religions and of different beliefs. Nevertheless the human being, as human being, has always the duty to search a way for a dialogue with everybody, at least in that fields where is possible to establish it and when it appears necessary for present and future advantage of the mankind.
In the field of bioethics the dialogue is always possible among all human beings because all human being are possessing the value of life and if life is a good which all human beings have, why is it so difficult to find a common point of view on it? Why should it be impossible to have a fraternal dialogue on its value among all people?
Starting from this point of view bioethics represented the ideal field for a dialogue between the Catholic Church and the contemporary world, between theology and ethics, moraltheology and moralphilosophy. Because of it, in the last decades bioethics has been in the middle of so many discussions and debates, but always bioethics has been the field of a dialogical meeting among different points of view in the world.
Although starting from different points of view, many people in the world have understood the necessity to take own ethical responsability in front of the value of life and to reflect on it for the singling out of the best solution. The search of the best solution for a problem concerning the human life and the life in the whole world and in each regional part, for the present and for the future has been at its origin and is until now the goal of bioethics.
Inside of this global perspective we have to place the historical reality and the ethical meaning of the Sicilian Institut of Bioethics. It was founded inside of the Theological Faculty of Sicily. It is expression of the desire of the Church and of the Theology to dialogue with the contemporary world.
2. Doing Bioethics in Sicily, in the Middle of Mediterranean Area
In front of the value of life bioethics has to face many and always different problems. They are different not only inside of a historical perspective, but inside of a geographical perspective too. Because of it from the beginning it appeared very important to know and to face the specific sicilian problems concerning the value of life and to take on the ethical responsability of sicilian people in front of the bioethical problems existing in the Mediterranean area.
Problems concerning the value of life are very big and complex in the Mediterranean area. Over all there is the problem of the deep cultural, social and religious divergences among the mediterranean people.
ISB is deeper founded on the belief that although divergent, the Mediterranean people are very sensitive to the value of life and available to the ethical confront about it. The ISB is also deeper founded on the belief, that the moral demand to make each culture more sensitive to life and the search for the truth in the field of life are undeniable: that truth is above all, in our cultural and religious divergencies, that truth for which we all must search together simply because this truth lies always beyond the differences in our points of view, beyond the diversity of our moral statements and the solutions we are giving to moral problems. According to this truth, the differences in our points of view on the problems of life are springing from the same sensitivity which we all, as human beings and as Mediterranean people, share and the same attention which we all show for life. Just the attention we show for life obliges us to go together in search for the truth in bioethics.
It was a deep conviction, inside of the ISB, to work for the establishing a mediterranean pole in the field of bioethics not only because there are many problems, from an ecological point of view for example, but also, and above all, because of the significance such a pole can have for bioethics and for the same Mediterranean cultures.
The cultural differences existing in this area were not considered a hindrance but rather an enrichment in our search for truth in bioethics and in our search for truth in general. Moral reflection, including reflection in bioethics, starts from different points of view, and proceeds as a common intercultural search for truth. In the broad field of bioethics, which involves an interdisciplinary methodology, the divergences are or must not be considered a big problem. As bioethicists we are always beginning from different points of view ant taking into account many different opinions.
Because of it, we have begun with the Mediterranean Meeting on Bioethics and year after year we have elaborated a wider bioethical project for the Mediterranean area.
3. Peculiarities of bioethical Mediterranean Project
The Mediterranean as subject
In Sicily and in the Mediterranean area appears urgently necessary the rediscovery of our subjectivity. We need to rediscovery our self as subjects of our life, we need to became the protagonists of our history, as well as in the past time, as well as in the theatre of Pirandello. Since long time we are not more the subjects of our culture, of our economy, of our future. The Mediterranean people, first on the political and economical level and secondary on the cultural level, in the last centuries, especially in the last decades, have been depending from external situations.
Each people, as well each human being, have to become and to be the subject of own self-realization, the autor of the comedy they are playing inside of the history.
The bioethical perspective as ethical reflection on the value of life becomes a good opportunity for the Mediterranean people to be conscious of their situation and to begin to play the protagonist’s role in their history. The six characters of Pirandello’s comedy represent very well the Mediterranean situation: we are in the search of our autor; we are in the search of our historical role; we are in the search of someone who gives us the opportunity to become protagonists of our history.
But first of all we need to be conscious of capacities which are concealed in our area, in our self. Like the six characters of Pirandello’s comedy we must be in the search of a autor: the characters are going to the autor; they have to go to the autor and not the autor to the characters!
The historical role of Bioethics in the Mediterranean area consists in the guiding all the people of this area to the consciousness of the necessity to take the way of the Pirandello’s characters to go in the search of a author.
The promotion of intercultural and religious dialogue
As every interdisciplinary science, bioethics need us to the promote an intercultural and religious confrontation in the context of the mediterranean area. There is a social need and a moral demand for the reciprocal confrontation between different cultures around one and the same table.
The moral demand to make each culture more sensitive to life is undeniable as well as the obligation to promote a deeper sensitivity for the problems of bioethics typical of mediterranean cultures.
As it is geographically very near, our countries have different cultures, belonging to three different continents and profess the three big monotheistic religions. Accordingly, we can give to our mediterranean dialog not only an intercultural dimension but also an intercontinental and interreligious one. There is no other place in the world where different cultures, related to three different continents, are so near each other.
Our ancient history is a remainder: the basin of the mediterranean sea can be considered as the common source of the western culture, on which the search for a better qualitiy of life is a characteristic element.
The economic development of Mediterranean
During my first trip around in the US, I was estonished when at the question: which is the biggest bioethical problem in the US, the answer was always and everywhere: the 70\80 % of the wealth is in the hands of the 20\30 % of the people.
It means of course that for a best quality of life we need to give more attention at the economic situation. It means too that the promotion of the economical, cultural, social and religious aspects are essential inside of the bioethical perspective. At the same time it means that bioethics has to promote the best quality of life trough the promotion of all these aspects.
4. Theoretical background of ISB’s Mediterranean Project
The promotion of these aspects can be fulfilled only at a regional level because each regional area has its own problems and its own difficulties. In front of it bioethics must have a regional dimension and must be interested to the regional problems. It means that in the Mediterranean area we have to face our own problems, to recognize the way for the best promotion of our quality of life. And the biggest problems we have in our area are the problems of the intercultural and interreligious dialog.
4.1. The anthropological premise
One of the most fundamental principle of anthropology aims not only to cure the symptoms but also and especially to cure the various evils which afflict the world in the sanitary, enviromental and cultural fields. Today we have to face situations of violence exerted by the man on nature and culture, on environment and people. This is certainly provoked by many socio-cultural, historical-geographical and even religious factors, but it always takes origin from lack in sensibility and in ethical culture in facing and solving the problems of mankind. Violence has marked many periods of the history and today its consequences represent an great danger for the present generation and for those of the future.
In such a context it is fairly evident the continous and failing attempts to keep order, democracy and reciprocal respect in those geographical areas which are mostly struck by fratricidal tensions.
It is obvious how failing is an intervention aposteriori and in a violent way on such situations deteriorated because of the cultural insensibility of those who could and should have done something before in order to solve the problems.
4.2. The methodological Principle
So it is extremely urgent to create a kind of intercultural homogeneity among the people of the world, who are not able to program a future of pacific coexistence and respect of the natural, environmental and socio-cultural ecosystem, keeping at the same time their own differences alive. This may be especially applied in the single geographical areas.
We hardly need to provide examples relating to the many situations existing today in the world such as those in the Mediterranean area where a lot of different cultures and religions coexist in a small geographical area,.
Such a intercultural homogeneity could be methodologically created only with reciprocal knowledge, with dialogue, with the general acceptance of the idea that each human being is worthy to be respected, as well as each people.
4.3. The Principle of Solidarity
Today we live in an extremely complex situation which, because of external and internal reasons, prevents anyone from following the principle of solidarity, the only hope for a better future for the youngest generations. It is extremely important an intervention in order to sensitize people to the idea of solidarity among each other and among the different generations.
What are we doing in order to face such a situation of the contemporary world and in the Mediterranean area? What are we planning? How do we mean to take part? Will we keep doing the past and present failing attempts to bring peace in a particular geographical area? Will we still give to the military force the duty to impose the order of the status quo? Will we impose solutions which are hardly taken into consideration or, somehow, never applied? Will we apply economic sanctions which are costantly avoided on a further stage?
The present generation is responsible for the future generations of its own people as well as of all the others, of its country as well as of all others. We have the duty to create a new culture of solidarity with all the mankind and to elaborate a new culture of life, based on the value of life, characteristic of the reflection and of all cultural phenomenon of bioethics.
It would be more meaningful and efficacious to try elaborating a plan to prevent the intercultural clash, through the overcoming of any geographical and cultural differences. This can only be obtained through with the mutual approach of nations, with the knowledge and respect of any diversities, with the dialogue and the constant confrontation among cultures on a limited scale, such as the Mediterranean area.
On a worldly scale it would be much more difficult to take into consideration all the problems and all the conditions for the elaboration and the promotion of a culture of life. Each people are responsible of their own future.
4.4. Creating a new Culture of Life
We need, with the incoming of the third millennium, to "build up" a new kind of human being – the human being of the third millennium -, to create a new society based on ethical solidarity and on impartiality, basic principles of every social community.
5. Practical Perspectives of the ISB’s Mediterranean Project
5.1. Mediterranean Laboratory of Bioethical Culture
From this prospect originates the project for the constitution of a Mediterranean Laboratory of Bioethical Culture for the human being of the third millennium, which will be organized by the Sicilian Institute of Bioethics.
Since seven years we have been promoting trough the issue of BeC a culture based on the value of life, on that value shared by all the human beings of the past, present and future.
The Mediterranean Laboratory of Bioethical Culture should not only have functions of supervision, but also it should promote a wordly culture which, starting from the value of life of bioethical reflection, will overcome the still existing socio-economic fences North and South, among nations, cultures and geographical areas of the world.
The project of the Mediterranean Laboratory, as operating strategy for the third millennium society, should be carried out trough deeply different levels, which at the same time integrate each other.
5.2. Mediterranean Meeting on Bioethics
For five years ISB has been organizing a Mediterranean Meeting on Bioethics as a confrontation among scholars highly qualified to establish the perspective of a mediterranean bioethics and for the discovery of the most efficacious socio-cultural methodologies for a culture of life. Trough the yearly meeting we want to go deep into the modern bioethical culture and its practical applications in the international relations of the Mediterranean Countries on the political, economical and social field. About 20\25 scholars and experts coming from the same geographical area are taking part to the MMB in order to go deeper into the discussed topics and to try to overcome all the cultural, religious and ideological barriers.
5.3. Mediterranean Course of Bioethics
The MCB has to be a promotional and experimental verification of the suggested proposals by means of a training to young coming from the Mediterranean Countries. To reach this purpose, we should organize courses on bioethics in order to sensitize the new generations towards the sense of responsability and condivision in relation to the quality of life of all human beings.
Such two weeks courses should be addressed to young people with a degree in medicine, biology, philosophy, theology, law, natural sciences, etc., not only in order to introduce them to the bioethics principles, but also to implement a continuous exchange among different countries as far as bioethics is concerned. The people attending each course should be no more than 30. Professors will held by the best experts in the Mediterranean area or in the world.
5.4. Mediterranean Society of Bioethics
For a better promotion of bioethical sensitivity and of bioethical reflection in the area and for the elaboration of mediterranean bioethics, ISB with other Mediterranean Centers of Bioethics is determined to found a Mediterranean Society of Bioethics.
The big diversity existing among the cultures and the religions of the mediterranean area requires the capacity of a dialog which is going beyond of the divergences and which is able to give prominence to the common approach to the solution of the problems concerning the human life.
The comparison on the problems of life will be the test bench for the same bioethics to be able to place its self above all the social, cultural, ideological and religious divergences. Because of it the topics of the conferences of the Society will be not only social and cultural, but religious, too.
A limited number of Bioethics Centers existing in the area, or somewhere else, as representative centers of each Mediterranean Country and of each tree big monotheistic religions, will belong to the Society.
All together the center of the Society will be about and not more than 30\35.
5.5. P.E.R.L.A. : Project of Europe for Research on Life and Anthropology
The name comes from the logo of ISB: the pearl which is protecting and giving the precious value of life. It become the acronym, too of a European project which is at the same time mediterranean too.
ISB will promote the scientific reflection among the young people through the programming of a exchange of scholarship with other European Bioethics Centers. In the present, as well as in the future, it is necessary to maintain contacts with Europe, if we wont play our historical role inside of the Mediterranean area.
On the basis of previous consents with the interested Centers, ISB will send for three, six o more months, as well as the consents establish, a sicilian student to the fixed Centers and will receive in its house in Zafferana for the same time the students coming from the European Centers.
Each student is free in his work and in the choose of the topic of his research. If worthy, the fruits of research will be published in BeC or in a specific collection.
It is foreseeable to give hospitality in the next future at least to 5 or 6 students. These students will participate either to the MMB or to the MCB: it depends on the period in wich these activities are falling.
The cost of each scholarship is of five (three months) or of then million Italian lire (six months).
Each scholarship will be headed according to the will of the donor.
6. Conclusion
As reflection on the value of life, for the life, bioethics must be in each regional area the way for the promotion of a culture based on the same value.
The promotion of the value of life is involving the promotion of all the values which are connected with the quality of this value: the value of peace, the value of solidarity, the value of dialog, the value of reciprocal knowledge and acceptance, the value of social and economic development.
The promotion of all these values, and first of all, of the value of the growth of each human being and of each people falls on the responsability of the same human being and of the same people. Each human being has to absolve his own responsability, as well as each people.
And bioethics may be the way to recognize and to carry out this responsability.
Because of it – I think – we people of Mediterranean sea have now in the name of bioethics the duty to go on to a real growth of life in the Mediterranean area.
Corsi Docenti Palermo / Docenti Acireale
Area filosofica Resp.: Salvatore Privitera
° Antropologia (1) - Francesco Casamento - Graziella Quattrocchi
° Etica filosofica (2) - Salvatore Privitera - Salvatore Privitera
° Filosofia della vita (1) - Enza Maria Magnasco - Enza Maria Magnasco
° Storia della Bioetica (1) - Maria Grazia Ardita - Maria Grazia Ardita
Area sanitaria Resp.: Salvino Leone
° Bioetica fondamentale (2) - Salvatore Privitera - Salvatore Privitera
° Bioetica della riproduzione (1) - Salvino Leone - Salvino Leone
° Bioetica d’inizio vita (1) - Laura Palazzani - Laura Palazzani
° Bioetica dell’infanzia (1) - Milena Lo Giudice - Antonino Leocata
° Bioetica del quotidiano (1) - Nicola Garofalo - Giuseppe Quattrocchi
° Bioetica clinica (1) - Salvatore Amato - Alessandro De Natale
° Bioetica dei trapianti (1) - Ignazio Marino - Ignazio Marino
° Bioetica di fine vita (1) - Salvatore Mangione - Cinzia Bonforte
Area psico-sociale Resp.: Marina Rizzo - Cettina Ardita
° Bioetica sociale (1) - Antonio Parisi - Cettina Ardita
° Bioetica nella scuola (1) - Amelia Cirincione - Amelia Cirincione
° Bioetica dell’ambiente (1) - Francesca Messana - Francesca Messana
° Bioetica mediterranea (1) - Salvatore Privitera - Salvatore Privitera
° Bioetica della mente (1) - Marina Rizzo - Elena Costanzo
° Cure palliative (1) - Pietro Cognato - Pippo Greco
° Pastorale sanitaria (1) - Elia Tripaldi - Elia Tripaldi
° Bioetica della notizia (1) -
° Bioetica della Longevità (1) -
Area giuridica Resp.: Pasquale Desena - Angelo Costanzo
° Diritti Umani (1) - Roberto Vinciguerra - Roberto Vinciguerra
° Legislazione bioetica italiana (1) - Diego Ziino - Angelo Costanzo
° Legislazione bioetica intern. (1) - Pasquale Desena - Angelo Costanzo
° Deontologia professionale (1) - Roberto Vinciguerra - Roberto Vinciguerra
° Comitati di etica (1) - Eleonora Aiello - Giuseppe Strano
*Il titolo si consegue con la presentazione e
la discussione di un elaborato
(1)= 1 credit
(2)= 2 credit
Sede del corso
Acireale - Piazza S. Domenico
(ogni venerdì dalle ore 15,30 alle ore 19,00)
**************
Per informazioni e prenotazioni rivolgersi a:
ISTITUTO SICILIANO DI BIOETICA
Piazza S. Domenico
95024 ACIREALE (CT)
tel. 095-7631324 o 091-331648 - fax 095-7634931 e-mail: isb.sede@libero.it ; http: www.isbioetica.it