My involvement with the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity goes back to before the beginning. Fifteen years ago, Nigel Cameron organized a consultation to explore the feasibility of establishing a center for bioethics whose orientation would be Hippocratic and Christian. We all agreed there was a need. And the logical location for this center seemed to be Trinity International University, where we happened to be meeting at the time. CBHD was born.
In 1994, the Center and its founding director, John Kilner, hosted the first of what would become an annual summer conference. The conference focused on the range of ethical issues in medicine. For instance, Dr. Cameron spoke on “Bioethics Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow;” David Schiedermayer, MD, addressed “The Ethics of Physician Income and Health Care Reform;” and Professor Stephen Williams explored “Bioethics in the Shadow of Nietzsche.” There were talks on the beginning of life, the end of life, organ donation, surrogacy, and even cloning. Addresses were given by physicians, philosophers, bioethicists, lawyers, policymakers, and theologians.
The tradition continues at the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, and for the first time since that inaugural conference, we are examining the range of issues again. The 14th annual conference, Bioethics Nexus: The Future of Healthcare, Science, and Humanity, is aimed at exploring the near future (10-15 years). First, however, a reprise by Nigel Cameron who will chronicle the past 25 years of bioethics engagement and prognosticate about where we will be in the next decade. And professor Alvin Plantinga’s talk on the problems associated with philosophical naturalism in science— turning science into scientism—is not to be missed either!
Equally insightful plenary sessions will focus on bioethics and the humanities, the future of bedside care, bioethics and the law, the future of the human species, the global nature of bioethics, and the future of bioethics engagement.
If you have never attended a CBHD summer conference, this one is for you.
As in previous years, in addition to the plenary speakers, there are parallel paper presentations. A host of papers have already been accepted and others are still coming in.
For something entirely new, we have issued a call for art. One aspect of what it means to be human is to be creative. “The Art of Medicine,” will showcase the art of our conference attendees. The art may be of any media and it does not have to have a medical theme. We hope many of you will display the results of your creative energies.
Finally, this year will mark the 10th anniversary of Trinity Graduate School. There will be opportunities to celebrate the achievements of the graduate school, as well as to recognize the alumni of the Master of Arts in Bioethics degree program.
All of these features of this year’s conference make it one to remember. Please join us.
C. Ben Mitchell, "From the Director's Desk,” Dignitas 13, no. 1 (2007): 2.