Van Rensselaer Potter and global Bioethics

Contributions to Public Policies in Defense of Planetary Health

Abstract

According to Van Rensselaer Potter, the birth of bioethics occurred within the limits of a moral tradition centered on immediate human interests, neglecting the interdependence between humanity and nature. Expanding this ethical dimension to ensure the continuity of life and the health of the future biosphere thus becomes one of the central challenges of our time. This study aims to understand how Potter’s conception of global bioethics, understood as a new ethics grounded in biology, can guide the formulation of sustainable public policies aimed at planetary health. The research adopts a bibliographic and analytical-reflective approach. First, the main characteristics of Potter’s proposed ethics are examined; then, the study analyzes how its foundations may contribute to the development of environmentally responsible public policies. It is concluded that global bioethics provides relevant conceptual foundations for building public policies focused on planetary sustainability. Among these foundations are: concern with the long-term consequences of human actions; the redefinition of the human being’s place in the biosphere as a member of a biotic community in a relationship of interdependence — rather than as a conqueror of nature; the intergenerational responsibility regarding the quality of life of future generations; and the integration of science, ethics, and sustainability aimed at preserving life on the planet.