Dear Reader,

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Greetings and welcome to the Indian Bioethics Blog!

Technology has revolutionised the world. But it is a double-edged sword. It can hurt, as it can heal. History shows us that it has been used for both, and the future possibilities raise unprecedented questions about right and wrong. It becomes important that the governance of these technologies is not only reactionary, but also anticipates the challenges ahead for law and for society at large. 

It becomes important; to ensure that you minimise the harm and maximise the good. This governance has so far been reactionary. But technologies are being developed at a rate where reactionary governance becomes practically futile. We need an approach now that is ethical and well-grounded. We need an approach that anticipates the harms that technology can cause right from the moment that it is conceptualised. Using merely law to govern these technologies is not sufficient. Law must be driven by ethical theory in regulating these technologies and that is exactly what bioethics seeks to do.

Since the advent of bioethics, there has been a constant dominance of the Western discourses in academic writing and popular bioethics literature. This is not to say that there have been no Indian bioethicists. But the South Asian voice, amongst others, remains one that has been either ignored or missing or even feeble.

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Societies have always been in flux. Indian society is more in flux than the rest. If one were to attribute this flux to something, it would be to the sheer diversity of the country and the subcontinent. In this diversity and flux, ethics and bioethics evolve and become diverse.

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We, at the Indian Bioethics Project, seek to undo this. We believe that Indian ethics, and particularly Indian bioethics have lessons for the pluralistic world. These are lessons of tolerance, of not harm (ahimsa), of ensuring equal access, to name a few.

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We do not desire to take a side in these discourses, but rather, we search for a singular solution that is grounded, critical and a well-argued reflection of arguments on both sides.

Through this blog, we aim to amplify Indian voices irrespective of gender, class, caste, sexual orientation or religion. 

Happy reading and happy thinking!

Stay ethical! (but… what does that mean?!) 

Team IBP