The Centre’s study and research activities include the ethical questions raised by the development of technology and of the medical and biological sciences, as well as the themes of philosophical anthropology, medical ethics and the philosophy of medicine and health, also considering them with reference to the bio-political implications and the regulatory profiles analysed by bio-law.
The lines of research address a range of subjects:
- themes pertaining to the beginning of life, with particular attention to the transformations introduced by biotechnologies and new genetics. The research range takes into consideration the anthropological, ethical and bio-legal aspects of the different forms of “medically assisted procreation”, “surrogate maternity” and genetic manipulation, with reference to the perspectives of both Human Enhancement and clinical research.
- themes pertaining to the end of life, including problems of assistance and care, as well as the questions of assisted suicide, euthanasia and interruption of therapy.
- themes pertaining to assistance and care in ordinary medical practice and in the most critical pathological situations, with particular reference to ethical, anthropological and social problems related to chronic diseases, to vegetative and minimally conscious states and to neuro-degenerative pathologies. In this context, the research covers the relational issues (informed consent, patients’ rights, doctor-patient relationship) involved in care and assistance practices (proportionality of care, clinical desistence, palliative therapies), examining both ethical/anthropological and legal aspects.
- themes pertaining to disability, examined both in their ethical/anthropological aspects and with reference to the promotion of disabled persons’ rights.
- themes pertaining to the new IT technologies and to the development of robotics and artificial intelligence, examined in the light of their effects on diagnostic practices, assistance and the control of individual and “public” health.
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