Disturbing Bioarchives: The Case For a Hauntological Ethics

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Philosophy of Science
• Medical Humanities

Background:

• Bioarchives, containing historical biomaterials, challenge traditional notions of presence and absence.
• The reappraisal of preserved human remains in institutions necessitates ethical reevaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the ethical responsibilities owed to the absent presence of the dead in bioarchives.
• To reconceptualize bioarchives through a hauntological ethical framework.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical review employing concepts of spectrality, hauntology (Derrida), and dynamic assemblages (Deleuze).
• Exploration of bioart as a potential bridge to new imaginaries for engaging with bioarchives.

Main Results:

• Hauntological ethics destabilizes binaries of past/present, living/non-living, and absence/presence, suggesting non-linear temporality.
• Bioarchives are presented not as passive repositories but as sites demanding ethical consideration and response.

Conclusions:

• An ethical reconception of bioarchives is proposed, moving beyond resolution towards ongoing engagement.
• The study advocates for a nuanced understanding of our relationship with the material remains of past lives.