| When the wheel of history turn to twenty-first Century, the development and application of life science, biotechnology and medical technology is a double-edged sword:on the one hand, it implements the growth of human’s ability to control nature and their own organization and brings well-being to human; on the other hand, it also brings more ethical problems to human. In the face of the dilemmas and new subjects of bioethics these these need to be solve, traditional ethics tend to be at a loss what to do, so we have to think deeply about the modern turn of bioethics.Singer is the founding chairman of the International Bioethics Association.He is now a professor of Center for human values at Princeton University. He is praised as the most influential contemporary philosopher who is still alive.Though Singer’s thought of bioethics does not cover the whole field of bioethics, however,his howling and deep studies of bioethics focus on key category,and clearly illustrates the value of bioethics being implied in our daily behavior, so as to open up a new path of bioethics’ development. Therefore, deep research of Singer’s thought of bioethics will provide our study on bioethics with a whole new dimension of thinking and an analytical framework. Especially,Singer animal the right to life of the animals among its principle of equal consideration to interests verily extends the horizons of bioethics. Therefore, in-depth study on Singer’s thought of bioethics undoubtedly has a far-reaching significance for us to grasp the Western contemporary bioethics ethics even the entire ethics and to be a creative contribution to the development of Chinese ethics.With the development of modern civilization and modern science and technology, the global population explosion, loss of biodiversity, deterioration of the ecological environment, abortion, euthanasia and other problems come one after another.Singer is a " rare model of moral integrity ".His thought and his behavior is a melting furnace. He created a highly practical bioethics in the long-term cooperation with various organizations, the common practice of commitment to protect environment, in the world scope to improve animal survival environment and for the legalization of voluntary euthanasia.Singer’s thought of bioethics is as for the purpose of caring for the living circumstances of human beings and examining and reflecting on human life for the purpose, which answers basically how to solve these modern society with public and universal ethical conflicts, moral paradox and moral problems.Therefore, in-depth study on Singer’s thought of bioethics undoubtedly has great practical significance both for the entire humanor individual out of the current predicament of life lost and for providing guidance and help for improving the quality of life, realizing the value of life.With the rise of research heat of the applicated ethics especially bioethics in our country, our scholars began to yearn to Singer’s thought of bioethics, but this research is still in its infancy, only a handful of several related papers.At present, China’s academic research on Singer’s thought of bioethics is not only in the extremely shallow depth but also extremely narrow in the field of research.The research efforts are also very uneven. The research on the subject brings many difficulties and challenges but also orientes research projects left a wide scope for research and innovation space. Singer’s experience can be said to be a microcosm of the development of moral philosophy in the late20th century English world. Since the1960’s, the decline of metaethics and the rise of applied ethics, not only provided theoretical background but also laid solid theoretical foundation for Singer’s applied ethics.Almost at the same time, bioethics was born in the United States, it gradually formed and developed with development and application of biotechnology and medical technology and a series of ethical problems, which provided the basis and atmosphere of study for the perspective of research on Singer’s thought of bioethics.The moral status of the traditional ethics that excluded non-human animal from our moral considerations based on anthropocentrism stance,as well as some perceptive scholar tried to expand the boundaries of the moral community to animals other than humans.which provides a new theoretical starting point for Singer’s thought of bioethics.Singer’s breakthrough achievement for the first time is publication of "Animal Liberation".The book not only opened the broad perspective of the bioethics and inspired people to think about bioethics, but also laid the foundation and direction of Singer’s theoretical research in the future.Therefore it marks the initial formation of Singer’s thought of bioethics."Practical Ethics "published in1979self-consistently solved hot and sensitive issue in bioethics such as abortion, euthanasia,based on the discussion on the preference utilitarianism ethical theory, the principle of equal consideration of interests as well as the unique concept of life, which means the maturity of Singer’s thought of bioethics. In Rethinking Life and Death:The Collapse of Our Traditional Values, Peter Singer argues that "the traditional western ethic has collapsed" as we enter "a period of transition in our attitude to the sanctity of life",which marks the further improvement of Singer’s thought of bioethics. The publication of " Writings on an ethical life " in2000marks systematic summary and theoretical sublimation of Singer’s thought of bioethics.Singer extracted the center ethics about alleviating world poverty, animal liberation and the sanctity of human life and other ethical issues in the book’s introduction.The classical utilitarianism and moral philosophy of Hare and the theory of evolution provide broad and profound ideological origins for Singer’s thought of bioethics.If Singer’s philosophy is a contemporary version of utilitarianism, classical utilitarianism is the source of fresh water.The classic utilitarianism had a strong impact and profound influence on Singer’s thought of bioethics mainly in four aspects such as the joy of classical utilitarian principle, the principle of utility, the principle of equality, caring animal life and so on. As the Hare’s own pupils, Hare’s moral philosophy provides direct theoretical source for Singer’s thought of bioethics. The theory of evolution provides a scientific basis for Singer’s thought of bioethics.Singer constructs a theorical building of bioethics based on integration of religion, ethics and the theory of evolution,which solidifies a solid theoretical foundation of Singer’s thought of bioethics. Through reasonable doubt, repeated demonstration and logical self-consistence, Singer establishes the preference utilitarian ethical theories, principles of equal consideration to the interests and revolutionary concept of life, thereby establishing a system of theoretical perspectives and consolidating a solid theoretical basis. Preference utilitarianism and the principle of equal consideration to the interests identified by Singer is with universal values and becomes a guide to action. The most important influence of Singer is the significant change in life concept through re-examining the ethical foundation of our lives.He criticizes the traditional biological taxonomy of life and put forward the new method of life’s classification with moral significance. The moral values is based on the interests and preferences of the sentient being.He challenges the traditional concept of the sanctity of human life and replaces it by a theory of life quality.Singer is an idealist, is also philosopher who concerns for reality. His ethics is practical. He adapted to the needs of the times, trying to use the above theory to deal with a series of important and controversial bioethical issues. The main topic of Singer’s thought of bioethics does not cover all the areas and issues of bioethics, but he demonstrates in detail and presents unique view on protection of animal, abortion, euthanasia, alleviate world poverty and other extremely sensitive bioethical problems. He believes that killing fetuses, infants and severely disabled persons is permissible in moral because they are not capable of program, participating in the future, so in some cases,inspite they can perceive pain.He also solemnly pointed out, people in rich countries if refused aid obligations, means that the absolute poor population of the country continues to suffer from absolute poverty, there is malnutrition, disease and death as a result of. If the said "let sb to death and to kill someone and no intrinsic difference between" is correct, then we can say, people in rich countries if refused to aid obligations is tantamount to murder.He also solemnly pointed out if people in rich countries refuse the obligation of assistance, it means getting people in absolutly poor countries suffer from absolute poverty and malnutrition, disease, and death. If you believe it is correct that " there is no inherent difference between letting someone die and killing someone ", we can think that people in rich countries refusing the obligation of assistance is tantamount to murder.Singer is praised as the most influential contemporary philosopher who is still alive because of distinctive aspects of teoretical fatures and positive contribution to the theory. Rationalism reasoning thinking and strong concern to practice is the two theoretical characteristics of Singer’s thought of bioethics.Singer ideological aspects of the theory contribution mainly as follows:First, he achieves a paradigm shift in bioethics, namely to achieve a bioethical issues from theoretical paradigm to paradigm shift; Second, he achieves bioethical reconstruction of the moral schemata, which endowes logically rational animal with equal moral status and moral identity,and inserts the animal’s life into areas of bioethics, and constructs a new moral schemata.Singer is also a controversial thinker because of inherent contradictions of his theory and theoretical courage to face many contradictions and disputes, as long as we have the spirit to absorb nutrients from their contribution, to get inspiration from the original intention of the dispute, it is of great inspirations whether for our systemal construction bioethical theory or solving real-life ethical dilemmas.That is to say, when we research and discuse and constructe bioethics we must adhere to the theme of life and death, adhere to the essence of life on the logical starting point, insist on the full value of life, uphold the moral and reasonable broad pattern, and so on. |
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