Stephen BarrThe thesis of the conflict between science and faith is a myth generated by the polemics of the end of the 19th century".In a few months, we have experienced the launching and presentation of some books on science and God, written by scholars on the subject, and some interviews with Catholic scientists in Omnes.
Among the former, we can cite the research on the scientific proofs of the existence of God by Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies, a bestseller in France, and also the "New scientific evidence for the existence of God" by José Carlos González-Hurtado, entrepreneur and president of EWTN Spain.
Regarding the latter, we have Enrique SolanoIn an interview with Omnes, the president of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain, who pointed out, among other things, that "brilliant Catholic scientists and disseminators are needed to establish a bridge between specialized knowledge and the people on the street.
Also at the end of the year, Stephen BarrD. in theoretical particle physics, professor emeritus of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware and former Director of the Bartol Research Institute of the same American university, told Omnes that "the thesis of the conflict between science and faith is a myth generated by the polemics of the late 19th century".
Montoliu: collaborators of diverse spectrums
We now turn to the presentation of the book "Not everything goes What's a scientist doing talking about ethics?" in the. Paul VI Foundationwritten by another scientist, Lluís Montoliu, researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and deputy director of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), who wishes to make it clear that in the world of science "not everything we know or can do should be done. That is what bioethics deals with".
The subtitle of the research biologist's work is What is a scientist doing talking about ethics? And to this subject he devotes numerous reflections at a time when scientific research is advancing so rapidly that questions we thought were typical of science fiction films are now a reality. But not everything goes, there are ethical limits, he points out.
Lluís Montoliu states in the preface that he wanted to have "the collaboration, comments and suggestions" of Pere Puigdomènech, emeritus research professor of the CSIC at the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics, and also those of José Ramón Amor Pan, academic director and coordinator of the Observatory of Bioethics and Science of the Paul VI Foundation, who moderated the colloquium at the presentation of the book. Also participating in the event were Carmen Ayuso, head physician of the Genetics Department and scientific director of the Institute for Health Research of the Fundación Jiménez Díaz.
The researcher Montoliu wanted to count on the collaboration of Puigdomènech and Amor Pan, "as representatives of what we could call a secular ethics and a religious, Christian ethics, respectively. Respecting the beliefs of each one, I must say that I share and aspire to have many of the values that accompany these two great experts in bioethics, and I feel very comfortable talking with both of them, listening and learning from them".
Bioethics concepts
During the colloquium, various questions were raised that are included in the book, "such as the suitability of writing it so that citizens are aware of the limits placed on scientific research, the debates generated by animal experimentation, or the importance of written consent from patients, among others".
These and other topics can perhaps be completed with a brief review of some of the author's and the moderator's ideas on bioethics.
Let's go with Montoliu, in three sentences. Bioethics sounds like norms, morality, philosophy, codes, laws, and can sometimes even be related to religion. For those of us who work in the experimental sciences, the life sciences (those in the "sciences"), bioethics classes tend to be interpreted as accessory subjects, probably unnecessary, apparently rough, unattractive. They are topics that we assume would be of interest to others, in the humanities (those of "letters"), not to us".
With all these clichés and commonplaces, we are unconsciously reproducing, once again, the sad academic separation between science and literature, between science and humanism, as if they were two watertight compartments. And this is a great mistake. Fortunately, there are already quite a few universities that incorporate transversal training programs that combine science and humanism, or science and ethics, or science and philosophy".
Not everything we know or can do, we should do. That is what bioethics deals with. To analyze in detail all the data of an experimental proposal in order to conclude whether or not this project should be carried out. If it is ethically acceptable, in accordance with the norms and laws that we have given ourselves as a society and our moral code, or if it contravenes any of these precepts, then we must conclude that the experiment should not be carried out".
Dialogue, culture of encounter
Professor Amor Pan asked the participants in the event for their points of view on numerous issues. Here I remind you only of what he writes in the epilogue to Montoliu's book, which may be useful when reading it. "I will not tire of insisting on it: bioethics can never be a breeding ground for partisan warfare, for any cultural war; on the contrary, bioethics is (has to be) dialogue, deliberation, sincere search for truth, culture of encounter, social friendship", and he mentions Pope Francis' encyclical "Fratelli tutti" in number 202, when he speaks of "the lack of dialogue".
The moderator Armor Pan considers that "bioethics is born as a civic and interdisciplinary ethics, as a meeting point, within the framework of the tradition of human rights and the search for a global ethics, with a humble and at the same time rigorous approach (in data, in argumentation, in the deliberative process)".
Referring to his concept of bioethics, Josá Ramón Amor notes: "For me, ethics and morality are synonymous, and on this point I differ from Lluís Montoliu. I would like to take this opportunity to stress the following: discrepancy, as long as it is argued, is good and healthy; and it does not prevent collaboration, much less friendship and cordiality. Remembering this seems to me more than necessary for the times we live in".
Challenges
According to Montoliu, the main challenge facing biomedical research in Spain at the moment is that "the new challenges that are emerging in the field of science need explicit recommendations".
In his book he gives some examples of scientific advances that pose a dilemma in the field of bioethics. During the colloquium it became clear that limits are necessary, but the excessive prudence of the European Union in setting them through its legislation was criticized, as has been the case of the Spanish researcher Francisco Barro, who has managed to create gluten-free wheat and who, due to European hyper-regulation, has not been able to grow it in Spain. "He has gone to the United States where he has been given a red carpet and where he will manufacture gluten-free wheat cookies that we will then buy from them," explained Montoliu.
Carmen Ayuso added another obstacle that Europe puts in the way of investigations. "Its extensive red tape", which slows down and hinders much research. The book also addresses relevant issues surrounding embryo research and in vitro fertilization, and bioethics in artificial intelligence.
