道家的生命伦理和干细胞研究的问题

生物技术改变着包括生与死在内的自然秩序。生物技术的发展起初是为了人类的利益,但今天它却对自然法则及人类自身构成了威胁。正如Jangja在其寓言《混乱之死》中所说的,为了人类的福祉所做的研究却让人类感到不安。基因操控和克隆人就是对人类构成威胁的代表性技术。利用受精未满十四天的胚胎进行实验,是因为这样的胚胎没有被当作人。但在道教看来,这样的胚胎已经是人,因此将卵细胞用于干细胞研究必须从伦理学角度进行检视。根据道教关于生命的自然主义观点,胚胎干细胞和人体干细胞研究都应被禁止,而不育及不治之症可通过道家的养生方法治愈。

Ethical view of life in Taoism and stem cell research

Biotechnology intervenes in natural order such as birth and death.At first it was developed for convenience of human being,but today it destroys the law of nature and frightens people that it could destroy human beings,too.As the Jangja's fable The Death of Chaos noticed,development for convenience drives men to the uncomfortable way.The gene manipulation and human cloning are the representative techniques to threaten human beings.An experiment of an embryo fertilized in between 14 days is allowed because it cannot be regarded as human.However this is not reasonable because Taoism regards an embryo as a human being.Picking of the egg cell which must be needed in the stem cell study has to be ethically examined.According to the naturalistic view of life in Taoism,both research of the embryonic stem cell and that of the somatic stem cell should be prohibited.The sterility and incurable disease can be cured by the taoistic regimen.