Nineteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society

Abstract

Imagination is a creative metacognitive capacity where an a priori figurative synthesis of a conceptual determination is formed in the tangible world. Thus, science fiction is a complex form of manifesting imagination, where, in an imaginative scenario, ethical and moral dilemmas are developed using technology. In this research, we argue that bioethics should consider science fiction literature and cinema as epistemological edges to adhere to the bioethical dialogue. Furthermore, we argue that science fiction literature is a source of knowledge (arché), a point of convergence between meanings and signifiers, and a resource for ethical and bioethical teaching (paideia). Imagination is crucial for the logical functions of understanding; therefore, in science fiction, a fertile space emerges that catalyzes sensibility and transmits information. Thus, the present research delves into the advantages and risks of using science fiction literature and film as a resource in the practical exercise and teaching of bioethics. On the one hand, it is a source of information in an integral language -expressed and tacit- that can be widely understood and favors the exposition of elements such as emotions, the scope of science, or the concerns of society. Nevertheless, on the other hand, it is a challenge for bioethicists to contrast it with the reality of contemporary science, considering its scope, implications, and applications.