Reconstructing Al-Farabi's ethical framework in contemporary bioethics: genetics, reproduction, and technological...

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Islamic Philosophy
• Moral Philosophy

Background:

• Contemporary bioethics navigates pluralistic societies with diverse moral perspectives.
• Growing interest in integrating non-Western philosophical traditions into bioethics.
• This study investigates Al-Farabi's ethical framework's potential contribution to bioethics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine Al-Farabi's ethical framework for its applicability in contemporary bioethics.
• To assess potential contributions without assuming direct conceptual equivalence.
• To explore the integration of non-Western philosophical traditions in bioethical discourse.

Main Methods:

• Sequential mixed-methods design: lexical analysis, hermeneutic reconstruction, empirical validation.
• Analysis of seven key works by Al-Farabi to identify ethical concepts.
• Operationalization of concepts into survey constructs for 265 medical and bioethics professionals, analyzed using statistical tests (ANOVA, correlation, regression, chi-squared).

Main Results:

• Statistically significant, weak associations found between Al-Farabi's reconstructed ethical constructs and contemporary bioethical attitudes.
• Justice construct negatively associated with gene-editing acceptance (p=0.047).
• Virtue construct positively associated with support for government involvement in reproductive policy (p=0.043).

Conclusions:

• Limited but consistent alignment between Al-Farabi's ethics and contemporary bioethical reasoning.
• Findings support non-Western perspectives as complementary analytical resources in bioethics.
• Highlights value in deliberative and intercultural bioethical contexts.