Abstract
Responding to the anthropocentrism of Western bioethics, the Taiwanese Buddhist scholar-activist Chao-hwei Shih argues for the equality of life—a form of equality that applies to all sentient beings. Instead of relying on Buddhist scriptural authority, Chao-hwei adopts a style of discourse modeled on Western philosophy in order to develop a Buddhist bioethics based on key Buddhist principles: dependent arising, protecting life, and the Middle Way. She compares Buddhist ethics with contemporary standards of bioethics that are generally applied only to humans. For Chao-hwei, nonhuman animals are not part of the environment because they are co-equal with humans. In this form of Buddhist environing, Chao-hwei redraws the boundaries of huanjing (the environment) to surround all sentient beings.
Translated by Jeffrey Nicolaisen
The author is Professor of Religion and Dean of the College of Social Science at Hsuan Chuang University.
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Notes
- 1.
As Zeng Congyan’s work Launching Animal Experimental Research and Raising the Standard of Hospital Scientific Research—Recording My Hospital’s Chinese Medicine Medical Experiments proudly expresses: “Animal Experiments are one important component to launching medical research. By employing animal experiments in medical research, it is possible to simplify the many very complex problems of human bodies and conduct detailed investigations for each type of variable, and this is difficult for clinical research to do…The establishment of a TCM laboratory brought our hospital’s standard of research to a new level, allowing us to leap to the top tier of Zhongshan City’s and even Guangdong Province’s medical care system and to lay ground for several important breakthroughs.” For further details, see Guangzhou Chinese Medical University’s affiliate Zhongshan Hospital’s website: http://www.zsszyy.com/html/html/zkzb/yxb/201115/1089.html
- 2.
“‘Yinqizhongdao’ zhi ‘zhongdao’ zhi genyuanyi yu yanshengyi,” 91–128.
- 3.
Su Shi, “Ciyun Dinghui Qin Zhanglao Jianjii Bashou (bingyin).”
- 4.
Sagoff, “Animal Liberation and Environmental Ethics,” 297–307.
- 5.
Biocentricism can again be divided into the animal-centered theory that places animals that possess the capacity of awareness within the scope of ethical concern and life-centered theory that asserts that all life (including animals, plants, and microorganisms) has an ethical status.
- 6.
See “Fojiao shengming lunlixue zhi yanjiu fangfalun,” 90–92.
- 7.
For details about the three types of principles for protecting animals, see Buddhist Normative Ethics, 84–93.
- 8.
Saṃyuktâgama-sūtra, vol. 37 (Taishō 2, 273, middle-bottom), Samyutta—Nikāya 55; “Yu liu xiang ying” (Nan chuan juan 16, bottom, 236).
- 9.
For details, see Yin Shun, “Cibei wei Fazong-ben,” 120–123.
- 10.
In relation to the debate on equality, see the following works:
-
1.
Buddhist Ethics, 81–82.
-
2.
Buddhist Normative Ethics, 91–93.
-
3.
Buddhist Meta-Ethics, 60–61.
In relation to the debate on difference (i.e. cultural relativism and ethical relativism), see Buddhist Normative Ethics, 107–112.
-
1.
- 11.
Buddhist Normative Ethics, 95–113.
- 12.
In regard to ethical inquiry into animals and human experiments, the details need not be repeated here. See the two Chao-hwei articles below:
-
1.
“Fojiao shengming lunlixue zhi yanjiu fangfalun,” 102–103.
-
2.
“Diqiu dalong zhong de chaoji bailaoshu,” 143–144.
-
1.
- 13.
Yin Shun, 1952, “Renxing,” Fo zai renjian, 94–96, Yinshun fashi foxue zhuzuo ji 2006 compact disc version.
- 14.
The two points above are based on the previous work below, but abbreviated and augmented. See Chao-hwei, “Fojiao shengming lunlixue zhi yanjiu fangfalun,” 90.
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Shih, Ch. (2019). An Exposition of the Buddhist Philosophy of Protecting Life and Animal Protection. In: Chang, Cj. (eds) Chinese Environmental Humanities. Chinese Literature and Culture in the World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18634-0_14
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