The Rediscovery of Bioethics: Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Marking 25 years since its founding, the German Reference Centre for Ethics in the Life Sciences (DRZE) presents the key insights of an international symposium in this edited volume. As disruptive biotechnologies – such as genome editing or AI-based synthetic biology – and ecological crises reshape our world, normative guidance is more vital than ever. The contributors to this collection explore how bioethics, as a philosophically informed and interdisciplinary practice, can respond to ethical challenges in medicine, agriculture, and beyond. With contributions from leading scholars, it charts future directions for bioethics. Join us on a journey to rediscover bioethics.

Dirk Lanzerath is a professor of philosophy at Universität Bonn, where he leads the German Reference Centre for Ethics in the Life Sciences (DRZE). He also serves as a secretary general of the European Network of Research Ethics Committees (EUREC). As an expert in medical ethics, he is deputy chairman of the Central Ethics Committee at the German Medical Association (ZEKO). His research projects address new ethical issues in artificial intelligence, modern brain research, bioeconomics, and biodiversity.

Aurélie Halsband is head of the Scientific Department of the German Reference Centre for Ethics in the Life Sciences (DRZE) at Universität Bonn. Her research addresses ethical implications of emerging biotechnologies and artificial intelligence, as well as the normative foundations of intergenerational justice and sustainability.