title: [Ethical aspects of biotechnology].
abstract: The relationship between man and animals usually receives little if any attention in ethics. Albert Schweitzer and his 'reverence for life' (1923) was the only exception. The rapid and recent developments of biotechnological possibilities in the field of veterinary medicine have so far not been considered from the point of view of ethics. In agreement with Schweitzer, Karl Barth (1951) stressed the principle of life which man and animals have in common. Passages in the Bible attribute one and the same 'life' ('soul') to both (Book of Proverbs 12: 10) and presuppose 'salvation' or 'preservation' of the two (Psalm 36:7c). Human responsibility in associating with this related species will therefore have to be apparent from careful maintenance of the conditions of this form of life, in research as well as in management.
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001675:Bioethics; D001709:Biotechnology; D010684:Philosophy; D014730:Veterinary Medicine
vernacular_title: Ethische aspecten van biotechnologie.