Global Bioethics: Building on the Leopold Legacy

by Van Rensselaer Potter

Overview

Van Rensselaer Potter created and defined the term "bioethics" in 1970, to describe a new philosophy that sought to integrate biology, ecology, medicine, and human values. Bioethics is often linked to environmental ethics and stands in sharp contrast to biomedical ethics. Because of this confusion (and appropriation of the term in medicine), Potter chose to use the term "Global Bioethics" in 1988. Potter's definition of bioethics from Global Bioethics is, "Biology combined with diverse humanistic knowledge forging a science that sets a system of medical and environmental priorities for acceptable survival."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870132643
Publisher:	Michigan State University Press
Publication date:	01/31/1988
Pages:	203
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Van Rensselaer Potter II (August 27, 1911 - September 6, 2001) was an American biochemist. He was Professor of Oncology at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin- Madison for more than 50 years.

Editorial Reviews

Aldo Leopold was the first to envision a new ethical basis for human conduct, first to develop an ecological ethic (land ethic), and first to explain clearly why it is needed. Today, global bioethics is evolving as an interdisciplinary area of study, combining both ecological and medical bioethics to determine values of acceptable survival. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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