Organizer: Research and Postgraduate Department of English, St Aloysius College, Thrissur, Kerala -Globethics.Net India and Journal of Dharma
About the Conference
- When: 23 & 24 February 2023
- Time: 14:00 IST (09:30 CET)
- Free Registration
- Call for Papers ( Registration Fee Needed)
- E Certificate Provided
- Virtual Platform: Zoom
Register Here
Concept Note
When using the term “bioethics” in his 1971 work Bioethics: Bridge to the Future for the first time, the American biochemist Van Rensselaer Potter had in his mind the possibility of an ethics which would incorporate humanity’s responsibilities and obligations to the whole of biosphere. Since then, in the backdrop of rapid advancements in science and technology, the term has been gathering scholarly attention and has been subjected to heated debate. Bioethics has now established itself as a distinct, interdisciplinary area of study.
Scientific interventions into human life through organ transplants, euthanasia, genetic engineering, assisted reproduction, and varied other biotechnologies problematise the received ethical categories, creating unprecedented ethical dilemmas. Also, monumental advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies have blurred the boundaries between the human and the machine. In this context, the currency of bioethics – which is concerned with ethical issues arising from the changes in the fields of science, medicine, healthcare, digital technologies, human-nature interactions, climate change, animal rights, etc. – is steadily increasing.
Centaurs in Greek mythology, Horus in Egyptian Mythology, and Narasimha in Hindu religion are some of the numerous literary manifestations of the human desire for the hybrid in ancient literatures. Of course, they have their modern counterparts too: the morally bankrupt vivisections of Dr. Moreau in H.G. Well’s The Island of Doctor Moreau, the biologically engineered ‘happy citizens’ in Huxley’s Brave New World, the unscrupulous bioengineering in Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, the human cloning in Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, issues surrounding assisted suicide in Jodi Picoult’s Mercy – to name a few. Even so, scarce attempts were made at appreciating, critically deliberating, and exploring the interpretative potentials of these works of literature vis-à-vis bioethics.
The majority of the approaches in bioethics regard the concept of autonomy as fundamental. The origin of debates on autonomy of the subject started with the Belmonte Report by United States’ National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research 1979. The report identified “…respect for persons, beneficence and justice” as the fundamental ethical principles in biomedical research. The question of autonomy and persona is central in ethical debates on assisted dying and euthanasia, assisted reproduction, designer babies, organ transplantation, and animal rights. It is in this context that the role of literature in broadening our notions on ethics becomes relevant. Literature has always anticipated the possible ramifications of unrestrained progress in science, and it prepares us to encounter consequent ethical predicaments.
We invite papers that consider, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Ethics and Literature
- Animal Rights
- Medical Literature
- Health Care Ethics
- Cyborgs and Humanoids
- Ethics and Environmentalism
- Dystopian and Utopian Literature
- Ethics and Science Fiction
- Eating and Ethics
Submission Guidelines
- We solicit original, unpublished research papers that cater to the above thrust areas.
- Abstracts should be typed in Times New Roman font in MS Word format.
- The word limit for the abstract is 300.
- The word limit for the full paper is 2000-4000, following the MLA 9th edition guidelines
- Font size should be 12 for the text and 14 for titles with double spacing.
- Remember to include your full name, designation, institutional affiliation, phone number, and e-mail ID along with the abstract.
- The abstracts received will be reviewed by a panel of experts. Only selected abstracts will receive an acknowledgement via e-mail.
Please send your abstracts to: staloysiusconference2023@gmail.com
A few selected papers, based on double-blind peer reviews, will find their place in Journal of Dharma. The rest of the selected papers will be published as a book with an ISBN. The selection of the abstract will not ensure the selection of the paper for publication.
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Important Dates:
- Submission of Abstract:16 January 2023
- Submission of full paper: 17 February 2023
Registration Fee Details
There is no registration fee for participation.
For paper presentation:
- Faculty: INR 400/-
- Research Scholars/Students/Others : INR 300/-
ACCOUNT DETAILS
Name: St Aloysius Educational Trust
- Name of the Bank: Federal Bank
- Brach: Olari
- Account Number: 12400100165271
- IFSC Code: FDRL0001240
Contact
Ms.Reshma K Jose : 9495819166
Dr. Abin Sojan : 9496335375
Mail your queries to staloysiusconference2023@gmail.com