Normative Bioethics in Hinduism

Abstract

When the possibility of normative bioethics is assessed against the broader background of Hinduism, it becomes clear that normativity is not an obvious concept in this religion. Difficulties related to defining Hinduism make it equally hard to describe essential characteristics of Hindu bioethics. These problems are further compounded by the very limited number of publications on Hindu bioethics. Therefore, this study largely relies on empirical data to understand how Hindus develop normative arguments on bioethical issues. This investigation shows that Hindus apply religious concepts and ideas to bioethical issues through an approach that combines virtue ethics and deontological ethics. In the empirical data, karma appears as a guiding belief for arguments that are in line with virtue ethics, while belief in an almighty God motivates deontological arguments. Hindus themselves do not make a clear distinction between these two approaches, but rather combine them in an overarching argument. This Hindu way of dealing with bioethical issues can be understood through the philosophical concept saṃskāra. Through this approach, Hindu bioethics is able to integrate various perspectives and avoids the pitfalls of both ethical absolutism and relativism. This makes Hindu bioethics a very relevant example when scholars attempt to find ways to deal with normativity in global bioethics.

Suggested Readings

• The most well-known and influential works on Hindu bioethics are two books by S. Cromwell Crawford and a book written by Harold Coward, Julius J. Lipner, and Katherine K. Young.

  • Crawford, S.C. 1995. Dilemmas of Life and Death. Hindu Ethics in a North American Context. New York: State University of New York Press.

  • Crawford, S.C. 2003. Hindu Bioethics for the Twenty-first Century. Albany: State University of New York Press.

  • Coward, H., J. Lippner, and K. Young. 2000. Hindu Ethics. Purity, Abortion and Euthanasia. Albany: State University of New York Press.

• A critical analysis of the approach used by the authors of these works can be found in the following article by Francis X. Clooney.

  • Clooney, F.X. 1995. Back to the Basics: Reflections on Moral Discourse in a Contemporary Hindu Community. The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 20 (4): 439–457.