Doha: A conference at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) will bring often controversial issues surrounding science, religion and the world of medical treatment and research, or “bioethics”, to the forefront of public discussion today.
The two-day symposium will feature a workshop and panels on its main theme ‘The Human Person: Challenges for Science, Religion and Governance’.
It will provide an opportunity for greater scholarly collaboration between participating leading scholars and experts from the US, Europe and the Middle East, to explore Muslim, Catholic and secular approaches to the understanding of bioethics.
“The conference addresses some of the important implications of biomedical technology on our understanding of human nature and relationships,” explained Dr Ayman Shabana, Director of the Islamic Bioethics Project at GU-Q, which is organising the event in cooperation with the Contending Modernities initiative at the University of Notre Dame in the US. “One of the main goals of the project is to raise awareness about bioethical issues and facilitate dialogue among researchers and scholars from different academic, intellectual, and religious backgrounds to further the understanding of the issues at local, regional, and international levels.”
Scott Appleby, Professor of History and Director of the initiative at Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, said: “Developments in medical technology, neuroscience and related areas are unfolding at a dizzying pace, with profound implications on our understanding of the human being. There is a need for humankind’s great religious and secular traditions to have a voice in bioethical and social justice questions raised by these developments,” he added.
For details about the conference, or to attend the public portion of the event, visit qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu The Peninsula
