Abstract

Although Jainism has been largely absent from discourses in bioethics and religion, its rich account of life, nonviolence, and contextual ethical response has much to offer the discussion within and beyond the Jain community. In this essay, I explore three possible reasons for this discursive absence, followed by an analysis of medical treatment in the Jain tradition—from rare accommodations in canonical texts to increasing acceptance in the post-canonical period, up to the present. I argue that the nonviolent restraint required by the ideal of ahiṃsā is accompanied by applied tools of carefulness (apramatta) that enable the evolution of medicine. These applied tools are derived from the earliest canonical strata and offer a distinct contribution to current bioethical discourses, demanding a more robust account of: (1) pervasive life forms; (2) desires and motivations; (3) direct and indirect modes of harm; and (4) efforts to reduce harm in one’s given context. I conclude by examining these tools of carefulness briefly in light of contemporary Jain attitudes toward reproductive ethics, such as abortion and in vitro fertilization.

Highlights

  • The ancient Indian tradition of Jainism is notably absent from contemporary discourses in religion and medical bioethics despite its historical emphasis on ethical action, its exhaustive account of life forms, and its rich history of medicine from antiquity to the present

  • Aspects of each tool of carefulness—reflecting on life forms of mother, clinician, and fetus, as well as mixed motivations, direct/indirect injury, and reducing harm, including future harm—are present in the responses. These responses suggest that the four applied tools of carefulness might provide a formal Jain framework for bioethical discourse, within and beyond the Jain community, which directly connects to the orthodox canon

  • Jainism has been largely absent from bioethical discourses, its rich account of life, nonviolence, and contextual ethical response has much to offer in the discussion within and beyond the Jain community

Read more

Summary

Introduction

The ancient Indian tradition of Jainism is notably absent from contemporary discourses in religion and medical bioethics despite its historical emphasis on ethical action, its exhaustive account of life forms, and its rich history of medicine from antiquity to the present. I describe three areas of ethical resonance between Jainism and medical bioethics, and three possible reasons for the lack of. In light of this gap, I analyze the under-examined canonical concept of “carefulness” that contributed to the gradual development of Jain medicine, a concept that might function today as an applied Jain ethical framework. I explore survey attitudes toward reproductive dilemmas in abortion and in vitro fertilization in order to evaluate how an “ethics of carefulness” might function in future discourses between Jainism and bioethics

Bioethics and Religion
A Gap in the Field: A Lack of Jain Engagement in Medical Bioethics
The Acceptance of Medicine in the Post-Canonical Period if Done Carefully
Reproductive Bioethics and a Jain Ethics of Carefulness
Findings
Conclusions
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call