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PwC & Bioethics
An Interview with
Darryl Macer
2009
By: Saeed Naji & Samira Pezeshkpour
Darryl Macer graduated from Lincoln College and University of Canterbury in New Zealand, B.Sc(Hns). in biochemistry, and obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, England. He researched bioethics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, U.K. 1987-1989. He was a bioethics consultant scientist to the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Ministry for the Environment in 1990-1991. He was Foreign Professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan, 1990-1995. Since April, and from 1995-2005 he was associate professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences. He is currently the Regional Adviser for Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific at UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand. He is a member of the IUBS Bioethics program, and coordinator of the IAB Genetics and Bioethics Network. Darryl Macer is director of the Eubios Ethics Institute. The Eubios Ethics Institute is a nonprofit group that aims to stimulate the international discussion of ethical issues, and how we may use technology in ways consistent with "good life" (eu-bios). He is author of several books in this area as Bioethics for Informed Citizens Across Cultures (2004) and Cross Cultural Introduction to Bioethics (2006).
Q:We have seen your books and are very interested. Also we learned that they are reviewed in UNESCO. Following are our questions: 1.Is it the first guide to Bioethics for school teachers? Or were they such books before printed in the world?
The books I published, Bioethics for Informed Citizens Across Cultures (2004) and Cross Cultural Introduction to Bioethics (2006) are two of the first bioethics resources books for school teachers and students.
Q: What are the differences in content and method between your two books Bioethics for Informed Citizens across Cultures and Cross Cultural Introduction to Bioethics?
The CCIB includes extra chapters (you can compare the contents lists), and is double the size of the first edition. Also chapters were revised from first editiion.
Q: Has anyone written books on such subjects before you? Please name if any.
There have been many books on bioethics, and some materials for teaching bioethics. For example, Principles of Biomedical Ethics by Beauchamp and Childress is a US style approach to bioethics principles. However there were not books specifically useful for high school level.
Q: What is the importance of teaching Bioethics in schools? How much does it affect modern societies?
It is important to start teaching ethics at an early age, when students are thinking about ethical and moral choices. Also in many countries students do not go onto secondary or tertiary education, so we need to empower students at an early age to be more informed citizens. Bioethics affects all citizens across the world.
Q:Would you guarantee that young children can learn Bioethics? What is the psychological basis of your approach?
Students take an active part in learning, playing moral games, interatcive learning, student centred learning and ask questions. Asking questions allows us to learn bioethics.
Q:What are the outcomes and achievements of such education in your country and in other countries?
The trials of these bioethics education materials in a dozen countries or more is positive. Some are describe din the edited book, Asia-Pacific Perspectives on Bioethics Education, which is online at the website under the publications link
http://www.unescobkk.org/rushsap
Q:The outcomes of your work are amazing and it is so interesting that philosophy has such outcomes. Mind you explain about these outcomes? I. Poverty reduction II. Your new Programme
III. Cooperation between administrators and researchers in educational system (which seems very difficult)
Poverty reduction requires changes to our lifestyles and learning to love others. Also more ethical and critical thinking of our practices to avoid waste. To focus on doing good, and avoid waste on war and conflict. II. New programmes including sharing case studies between different cultures, and trying to rediscover our traditional philosophies and practices. III. The new methods using games do not require many resources, so administrators should be happy to support them.
Q: To what age limits are such books taught?
Most of the concepts could be taught to ten year olds, and many at earlier age. Please also see the book on Moral Games for Teaching Bioethics, which focuses on methods to make students ask questions and listen to each other. Recently a regional action plan on teaching philosophy among member states called to teach these issues at pre-school onwards (see the attachment).
Q: How much are such education common/current in the world?
Bioethics is becoming more common, as the UNESCO Bioethics Declarations since 1997 include calls for it at all levels. However there is a lot of work to do still.
Q: It seems that among the books published by IAPC, there is a lack of books about Bioethics. E.g. in Lisa, animal`s right is discussed but there is nothing about Bioethics. Is any measure to enter such texts into curricula taken?
There is a need for more books. We see some efforts from science teachers, biologY, medicine etc. Philosophers have played an important but limited role, so you can see many other materials emerging now.
Q:Do you think that Bioethics can be the complimentary part of P4C Programme in IAPC?
bioethical questions are already very impt in P4C.
Q: What are these materials? How can we get informed about them? What are their approaches? Who has started this job?
we are making a web page with more links to P4C links. Also look at the Moral Games for Bioethics book for links. There is also a teachers guide for CCIB which has hundreds of web links.
Q: Except for the films you named, is there any story by which one can start discussing Bioethics?
I see many films raising bioethics issues, and I only mentioned a few. I like to encourage students to make their own films on bioethics now.
Q: Ok, I agree that there may be many films in this respect; would you please name some films in case we can buy them? Is there any story book in this field?
please see the movies I mention in CCIB movie guide for example.
Q:In which countries have Bioethics lesson been developed?
For schools especially there are bioethics programmes in schools in New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Philippines, for example - and pilot trials in dozens of countries.
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