Bioethics and knowledge

The acquisition of knowledge must be regarded as the first duty, as affirmed by Claude Bernard and Jacques Monod. It occupies a place in the forefront of other duties--respect for the individual and his liberty and dignity--to which the duty of knowledge must be subordinated. An attempt must be made to reconcile these diverse obligations. These three situations are described by stressing the importance of the principles that govern these studies: respect for the individual; respect for science; restriction of human experiments to what is strictly necessary; scrupulous assessment of the balance of risks and advantages; the human body is not an object of commerce; free and informed consent; solidarity between men.