Introduction: Normativity in Context

Abstract

In bioethical publications and debates, the concept of normativity is most often used without consideration of the difficulties surrounding it. This is in fact surprising as there are many competing claims for normativity within bioethics. We also cannot merely assume that a Western understanding of normative bioethics will be unproblematic in bioethics in non-Western cultures and religions. These fundamental problems challenge the current understanding of normativity in bioethics and need to be addressed in order to be able to understand and develop appropriate answers to bioethical issues in a globalized world with multicultural societies.