African Indigenous Ethics in Global Bioethics

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

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2. Introduction: The Culture of Ubuntu

   • Leonard Tumaini Chuwa

   Pages 1-32

3. Ubuntu Ethics

   • Leonard Tumaini Chuwa

   Pages 33-88

4. Ethics of Care: Enlightening the Role of Rights in Global Bioethics

   • Leonard Tumaini Chuwa

   Pages 89-135

5. UNESCO Declaration: Enlightening the Cosmic Context of Global Bioethics

   • Leonard Tumaini Chuwa

   Pages 137-193

6. Catholic Social Ethics: Enlightening the Role of Solidarity in Global Bioethics

   • Leonard Tumaini Chuwa

   Pages 195-243

7. Back Matter

   Pages 245-258

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This book educates whilst also challenging the contemporary schools of thought within philosophical and religious ethics. In addition, it underlines the fact that the substance of ethics in general and bioethics/healthcare ethics specifically, is much more expansive and inclusive than is usually thought. Bioethics is a relatively new academic discipline. However, ethics has existed informally since before the time of Hippocrates. The indigenous culture of African peoples has an ethical worldview which predates the western discourse. This indigenous ethical worldview has been orally transmitted over centuries. The earliest known written African text containing some concepts and content of ethics is the “Declaration of Innocence” written in 1500 B.C., found in an Egyptian text. Ubuntu is an example of African culture that presents an ethical worldview. This work interprets the culture of Ubuntu to explain the contribution of a representative indigenous African ethics to global bioethics. Many modern scholars have written about the meaning of Ubuntu for African societies over centuries. Some scholars have viewed Ubuntu as the greatest contribution of African cultures to other world cultures. None of the scholars, however has explored the culture of Ubuntu as providing a representative indigenous ethics that can contribute to global bioethics as discussed in this book.​

• Catholic social ethics
• UNESCO declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights
• Ubuntu Worldview
• Ubuntu ethics
• emergence of global bioethics
• global bioethics
• human relationships
• indigenous African ethics
• indigenous culture of African peoples

• St. Vincent’s Health Care, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA

  Leonard Tumaini Chuwa

Policies and ethics