Nadużywanie słowa w bioetyce

Abstract

The purpose of the founders of bioethics was to protect essential human values threatened by an uncontrolled development of biotechnology. Nevertheless, only a few decades later, we see these values being threatened by the same bioethicists. This is due to the peculiar way that some of them practice their profession. Instead of helping to explain new moral dilemmas to protect man they use a corruption of language thus hindering an objectively correct evaluation of specific problems. They do this in are two ways. Either they use some well known (or even historical) terms but disregard their contemporary meanings or they create new terms which obscure reality. Thus they remind us of ancient sophists who would use words to please their listeners. Their purpose was not to communicate truth but flattery as a preliminary step to manipulate their listeners. There is a well known work by J. Pieper which describes sophists' activity which helps to trace its similar forms within contemporary philosophy and ethics of which bioethics is a part.