European Journal of Bioethics (Oct 2011)
Bioethical common factors amidst Krause masonry and Saint Francis of Assisi systems of thought appeal to respectful dialogue, nature and understanding: the Jahr’s dialogue beyond the age of "enlightment" and the metadisciplinary "dark" ages
Abstract
It has been known that the fi rst reference of the word Bioethics in the twentieth century was due to German theologist Fritz Jahr in 1927. In that surprising paper Jahr, a protestant Lutheran university professor, proposes humble catholic deacon, Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), as the fi rst discoverer of Bioethics in Western Civilization. At the same time, Jahr quotes K.C.F Krause, a Masonic mathematics and philosophy doctor, who is referred within this manuscript because of his ideas on Life respect regarding also any given species. Saint Francis, a medieval icon who prevails as the devoted saint of ecologists and peacemakers, was the rebuilder of the catholic faith during those chaotic and excessively philosophical / theological times, when Life got under human siege. Krause was expelled from the Masonic movement (1810) while Saint Francis was advised to become an isolated hermit (1209) to be kept aside from the community due to his, somehow, rebellious strict observance of the original gospel in times when richness and vanity were becoming a sign of social success. Th ey represent diff erent methods regarding the same concern: Th at is to say, Life protection and peaceful stability. While the saint appeals to Love, the academic one trusts the Law as basic strategy. Historical and Philosophical contexts and controversies are also analyzed. Beliefs, knowledge, bias, prejudices, intellectual fi ghts defi ne the way many people live and assume their own and others’ lives. Â
