Meeting abstract

Food Production and Bioethics

Marijan Jošt

Abstract

The subject of this paper are agricultural ethics as a part of bioethics, as
a holistic approach to consequences of conventional (industrial) and alternative
type of agriculture practice based upon application in practical use the resultats of
agricultural research. The problems connected with food production aimed at satisfying
the needs of a rapidly growing human population are complex and paradoxical.
These problems are in branch of ethics, at first, because ethical laws are
entirely different from scientific laws. From the accessible facts, often quite opposite
conclusions can be made. The optimists, excited by increased food production
based on achievements of contemporary science, neglect the Malthusian forecast of
hunger. On the other side, the pessimists insist that environmental pollution and
land degradation caused by industrial food production hold dire consequences for
the human race. The principles of bioethics are closely connected with the professional
ethics of our scientists and decision-makers, which should be recognised as
a very serious issue. The final conclusion: our decisions should be based on common
sense, knowledge, high ethical standards, and democratic mechanisms to
make agriculture a way of life and not simply an investment for corporations. We
are responsible to our offspring. This is very important because the methodology
of a typical research scientist is based upon scientific reductionism and his or her
way of thinking does not include the interdisciplinary, holistic approach. The scientists
must begun to look holistically at agricultural research, and on its consequence
of past, present and future agricultural practices.

Keywords

agricultural ethics; bioethics; holistic approach; typ of agricultural practice

Hrčak ID:

120120

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/120120

Publication date:

8.12.2000.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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