Gelişen Biyoteknoloji, Ahlaki Kavşaklar ve Din: Hinduizm’den Bir Pencere

Bugünün dünyası, teknolojik ve piyasa odaklıdır. Ahlaki kanaatlerimiz, sıkı sıkıya bağlı kaldığımız ahlaki varsayımlarımızıtehdit eden bilimsel vaat ve ticarileştirmenin gün yüzüne çıkan tahakkümlerine maruz kalmaktadır. Hâkim sosyal çevrededoğru ve yanlış kavramları; heterojen grupların ve mevcut ve gelecek nesillerin menfaatleri güvence altına alınarak bireyselve toplumsal perspektifler bağlamında yorumlanmalıdır. Çeşitliliğin çoğulculukla harmanlanması gerekir. Çeşitlilik bazen,benzersiz bir eşitlik ve meşruiyet çatışmasını yansıtır. Muntazam insan davranışlarının kökenleri, fıtri ve evrensel olup insanuğraşlarının ahlaki esaslarının belirlenmesinde sade ve saf bir araç temin eden insani erdemlerde yatar. Yüzyıllardır din,hikmetin ve muntazam davranışların ilahi bir yolunu açarak insani erdemlerin kalesi olmuştur. Din, gerçeğe yakınlaşmanoktasında eşsiz bir hususiyete sahiptir. Böylece din, bilgimizin ve kontrolümüzün ötesine geçen olgular için sezgi sağlayanderinlemesine imkân sunan bir kurumdur. Bu makalede, Hint sezgisinde kutsal kabul edildiği şekliyle olumlu yansımaları,yani Hinduizm olarak bilinen, maneviyat ve inancı harmanlayan, eşsiz hikmet ve sezgi ile kutsanmış, içsel insani erdemlerdenkaynağını alan; günümüzün teknolojik açıdan çalkantılı, insan bireyliğinin genişlediği, bilimsel vaatlerin geliştiği ve ahlakibelirsizliğin arttığı dünyasına yön verme ve açıklık sağlama yeteneğine sahip yaşam yolunu inceliyorum.

Advancing Biotechnology, Moral Crossroads and Religion: A Window through Hinduism

Today’s world is, technological and market driven. Our moral convictions are exposed to emerging imperatives of scientificpromise and commercialisation, threatening our long cherished assumptions of morality. In the prevailing milieu, theconcepts of right and wrong have to be interpreted in the context of individual and community perspectives, keeping intactthe interests of heterogeneous groups as well as the present and future generations. Diversity needs to be blended withpluralism. At times, it reflects a unique conflict of equity and legitimacy. The roots of orderly human conduct lie in humanvirtues, which are innate and universal, providing a chaste and candid tool to determine moral content of human pursuits.For centuries, religion has been a bastion of human virtues, opening a divine path of wisdom and orderly conduct. Religionhas a unique property of convergence to truth. Religion is thus a profoundly enabling institution providing insights in tophenomena, which lie beyond our knowledge and control. In this paper, I explore the positive reflections as enshrined in theIndian perception, known as Hinduism, a way of life blending spirituality and belief, blessed with unique wisdom and insight,rooted in intrinsic human virtues, having the capability to provide direction and clarity in today’s world of technologicalturbulence, expanding human personhood, evolving scientific promise and growing moral ambiguity.

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