!

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,-%").-/*0 ,-%$120 ,-%&%$-)-/*3 4%(5"6"(/" 7"&%6) %( 1
4%()"8)91$-:1)-%(

"# $%&' ()*+,
-


ln conLrasL Lo oLher legal sysLems, lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy of Cerman [urlsprudence lags behlnd,
lnLerdlsclpllnary approaches Lo legal Lheory and regulaLlon are noL as common ln Cermany
as, for example, ln Lhe uS wlLh lLs varlous, well-esLabllshed Law and." approaches.
1

Powever, Lhe followlng reporL draws aLLenLlon Lo lmporLanL lnLerdlsclpllnary
developmenLs ln one of Lhe mosL challenglng legal areas - ./*0'1.

Cn november 22 and 23, 2012, Lhe conference 8loeLhlcs, 8lolaw, 8lopollLlcs:
A ConLexLuallzaLlon" was held ln Pamburg. ln a workshop aLmosphere, scholars of law,
phllosophy and Lhe pollLlcal and soclal sclences dlscussed Lhe lnLerplay beLween bloeLhlcs,
blopollLlcs and Lhe emerglng area of blolaw. SupporLed by Lhe lrlLz 1hyssen loundaLlon,
rofessor ur. Marlon Albers, professor for publlc law aL Lhe unlverslLy of Pamburg,
2
hosLed
Lhe conference whlch Look place ln Lhree parLs: flrsL, a general dlscusslon of conLenLs and
conLexLs of bloeLhlcs, blolaw, blopollLlcs and Lhelr connecLlvlLy, second, a dlscusslon of
parLlcular Loplcs offerlng deeper lnslghLs lnLo speclflc conLexLs, lncludlng leglLlmaLlon, and
Lhlrd, an ouLlook on opporLunlLles for fuLure lnLerdlsclpllnary work.

lnLroduclng Lhe Loplc, Albers menLloned Lhe recenLly esLabllshed Pamburg CenLer for 8lo-
Covernance. lL ls deslgned Lo enable researchers from varlous dlsclpllnes Lo communlcaLe
and exchange lnformaLlon on a permanenL and long-lasLlng basls ln order Lo enhance Lhe
process of muLual learnlng and progress. 1he Lerm blolaw" ralses new quesLlons and
challenges for Lhe law and for legal scholars as Lhe llmlLs of Lhe sclenLlflc dlsclpllne are

*
LL.M. (Lmory), hu candldaLe (unlverslLy of Pamburg), research asslsLanL Lo rof. ur. Marlon Albers.
Lmall: lena.groLh[[ura.unl-hamburg.de.
1
lor example, Lhe fleld of Law and Lconomy ls [usL emerglng ln Cermany, see MarLln CelLer and krlsLoffel
Crechenlg, 2,% 2)'&3'+0'&+/4 5/6%)7%&4% /& $%7'0 2,*87,+9 :;%)/4'& $'1 '&< =4*&*;/43 63> (%);'& 5*4+)/&/3;,
31 PAS1lnCS ln1'L & CCM. L. 8Lv. 293, 328 (2008). Cn Lhe lnsLlLuLlonal background hlnderlng lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy,
see Susanne Lepslus, 2'?/&7 +,% @&3+/+8+/*&'0 A*&+%B+ C%)/*830#> : A*;;%&+ *& D';%3 (*)<0%#, 36 AM. !. CCM. L.
633, 662 (2008). lor a comparlson of Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Law and Soclal Sclences ln Cermany and ln Lhe uS,
see Cllver Lepslus, SozlalwlssenschafLen lm verfassungsrechL - Amerlka als vorblld?, 60 !u8lS1LnZLl1unC 1, 12
(2003).
2
rofessor Marlon Albers holds Lhe Chalr for ubllc Law, lnformaLlon and CommunlcaLlon Law, PealLh Law and
1heory of Law aL Lhe unlverslLy of Pamburg.
2013] 433 8loeLhlcs, 8lopollLlcs, 8lolaw: Conference 8eporL
reached. Whlle Lhe Lerm was orlglnally used as a correlaLe Lo Lhe Lerm bloeLhlcs", Lhe use
subsequenLly shlfLed Lo dlsLlngulshlng blolaw from bloeLhlcs. Some lawyers Lry Lo selze
every opporLunlLy Lo answer blo-relaLed quesLlons wlLhln Lhe legal caLegorles of
proporLlonallLy and Lo marglnallze Lhe role of bloeLhlcs. 1o Lhe conLrary, :0.%)3
recommends LhaL legal scholars learn aLLenLlvely from bloeLhlcs and vlce versa.
ConsequenLly, she called for lmplemenLlng Lhe ablllLy Lo learn and Lo adapL lnLo Lhe law,
and she concluded LhaL lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy means boLh auLonomy and openness
slmulLaneously.

WhaL ls bloeLhlcs and whaL does lL offer Lo law and pollLlcs? ln Lhe flrsL parL of Lhe
conference, Lhls quesLlon was posed Lo u ur. !ohann S. Ach, Medlcal School of Lhe
unlverslLy of MunsLer. As a bloeLhlclsL" he clalms LhaL Lhe Lerm blopollLlcs ls used Loo
frequenLly. Pe poslLed LhaL bloeLhlcs ls applled eLhlcs. lurLhermore, he emphaslzed LhaL
dlfferenLlaLlon ls necessary wlLhln bloeLhlcs, especlally beLween Lhe academlc dlsclpllne,
Lhe publlc dlscourse and cllnlcal bloeLhlcs. A good" declslon can only be characLerlzed
wlLh regard Lo Lhe respecLlve acLlvlLy. Concernlng Lhe academlc dlsclpllne whlch ls lnvolved
wlLh crlLlcal analysls and reconsLrucLlon, Ach holds Lhe vlew LhaL bloeLhlclsLs do have
eLhlcal experLlse buL LhaL Lhey cannoL clalm moral experLlse. 8egardlng publlc dlscourse,
he urges a shlfL from managlng consensus Lo managlng dlssenL. Pe polnLed Lo ma[or
dlfferences beLween bloeLhlcs and blopollLlcs such as lmparLlallLy, Lheory-relaLedness and
Lhe analyLlcal funcLlon of bloeLhlcs ln conLrasL Lo parLlallLy, requlremenLs of compromlse,
and Lhe need for acLlon on Lhe slde of blopollLlcs. 1hus, Lhe answer Lo Lhe quesLlon of whaL
bloeLhlcs has Lo offer Lo law and pollLlcs dlffers dependlng on Lhe dlfferenL acLlvlLles of
bloeLhlcs wlLhln whlch dlfferenL experLlse ls avallable. rovocaLlvely, Ach confronLed Lhe
raLlonallLy pursued by bloeLhlcs wlLh a prlvllege of lrraLlonallLy en[oyed by pollLlcs. uurlng
Lhe conference, Lhls commenL evoked several dlscusslons. Pe furLher asked how much
lrraLlonallLy bloeLhlcs should LoleraLe. llnally, he sLressed Lhe lmporLance of auLonomy for
bloeLhlcs ln Lhe academlc fleld and Lhe lmporLance of reflecLlng on lLs own compeLences
and lLs LheoreLlcal and meLhodlcal reperLolre, whereas Lhe Lask of bloeLhlcs wlLhln eLhlcs
commlLLees ls yeL Lo be clarlfled and conLrolled.

rovldlng a legal perspecLlve, rofessor ur. SLefan PusLer, unlverslLy of 8ochum, presenLed
hls Lhesls on wheLher bloeLhlcs and blolaw are symbloLlc or confllcLlng. Lspeclally wlLh
quesLlons concernlng human exlsLence, Lhere ls permanenL dlssenL ln modern socleLal
plurallsm (up Lo moral plurallsm) LhaL sLems from Lhe rellglous and ldeologlcal plurallsm
and ls Lherefore hardly recepLlve Lo compromlse. Accordlng Lo PusLer, Lhe perspecLlve
should shlfL Lo Lhe quesLlon of how and how deLalled Lhe sLaLe should regulaLe moral
lssues, rememberlng Lhe neuLrallLy of Lhe sLaLe. Legally, wheLher Lhe sLaLe's duLy of
neuLrallLy dlffers wlLh regard Lo acLlve prohlblLlons on Lhe one hand and Lhe passlve refusal
of proLecLlon or governmenL beneflLs on Lhe oLher hand ls lmporLanL. A pollLlcal and
[urlsprudenLlal dlscusslon on regulaLlon should deal wlLh Lhe foundaLlon and range of
publlc powers of Lhe sLaLe and relaLe Lhem Lo bloeLhlcal problems. Powever, from Lhe
perspecLlve of moral phllosophy, such a dlscusslon could merely provlde a moral mlnlmum,
[vol. 14 no. 02 436 Cer ma n L a w ! our na l
whereas a coexlsLlng form of bloeLhlcs LhaL does noL focus on legal regulaLlon could
provlde Lhe respecLlve moral norms, mlrrorlng Lhe socleLal plurallsm.

1hese eLhlcal and legal conLrlbuLlons were followed by Lhe presenLaLlon of rofessor ur.
ulrlch Wlllems, unlverslLy of MunsLer, who focused on blopollLlcs and Lhe pollLlcal
perspecLlve on Lhe bloeLhlcal conLroversles. Pe, Loo, began by polnLlng ouL Lhe decllne of
LradlLlons accompanylng Lhe emerged moral plurallsm, dlssenL and confllcLs ln hlghly
senslLlve lssues. 1hese are Lhe maln challenges of blopollLlcs along wlLh problemaLlc
dynamlcs of blopollLlcal value confllcLs and wlLh Lhe llmlLaLlons of pollLlcal lnsLlLuLlons and
processes. 1he value confllcLs are characLerlzed by black and whlLe opLlons, dlssenL on
falrness rules and lnLenslfled dlfflculLles wlLh ma[orlLy declslons whlch hlL Lhe defeaLed
mlnorlLy severely due Lo Lhe senslLlvlLy of Lhe lssues, leadlng Lo polarlzaLlon. 1he laLLer ls
obvlous ln Lhe uS, buL far less dlsLlncL ln Canada, whlch E/00%;3 Lraces back Lo dlfferences
ln Lhe respecLlve pollLlcal sysLems. Whlle ln Lhe uS Lhe parLles are relaLlvely weak and
lnLeresL groups, lncludlng slngle-lssue groups, exerclse sLrong power, Lhe room for an
lnLeresL group Lo maneuver ls smaller ln Canada. lus, rellglous groups are larger and more
moderaLe ln Canada. E/00%;3 calls for plurallsm ln pollLlcal sLrucLures. Pe does noL see
much success wlLh exlsLlng lnsLlLuLlons and procedures Lo overcome value confllcLs, excepL
for a slngle aborLlon case before Lhe lederal ConsLlLuLlonal CourL of Cermany
3
whlch
recognlzed Lhe defeaLed oplnlons so LhaL ldenLlLles are noL called lnLo quesLlon. Pe flnally
descrlbed normaLlve plurallLy as challenglng and opposed Lhe llberal Lheory (as ofLen
supporLed ln Lhe uS) Lo Lhe plurallsLlc Lheory. ollLlcal plurallsm holds LhaL no pollLlcal
proceedlngs or means exlsL Lo declde meLaphyslcal lssues. lundamenLal prlnclples of
pollLlcal plurallsm are Lhe reverslblllLy and Lemporarlness of pollLlcal answers - boLh are of
crlLlcal lmporLance ln blopollLlcs.

1he conLrlbuLlon from rofessor ur. Sllke SchlckLanz, unlverslLy of CLLlngen, provlded Lhe
perspecLlve of soclal and culLural sclences on blopollLlcs and bloeLhlcs. AfLer prlor speakers
had lnslsLed on Lhe domlnance of Lhelr respecLlve dlsclpllnes ln bloeLhlcal lssues, Lhls
presenLaLlon pled for lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy, accompanled by a soclologlcal vlew on Lhe
parLlcular sclences and by a reflexlve vlew of sclence lLself. 1he currenL dlsclpllnary
plurallsm concernlng bloeLhlcs leads Lo a clash of approaches. hllosophers deem Lhelr
core compeLence endangered. Plgh speclallzaLlon of parLlcular dlsclpllnes can be Lraced
back Lo Lhe work lnLenslLy of lnLerdlsclpllnary communlcaLlon. SchlckLanz crlLlcally
counLered naive emplrlclsm and naive use of soclal Lheorles ln bloeLhlcs. ollLlcs ls
undersLood Lo be a sysLemaLlc parL of eLhlcs. An expllclL separaLlon of roles should replace
Lhe dlsconLenL of experLs regardlng allegedly lrraLlonal pollLlcal proceedlngs. ln an ouLlook
on alLernaLlves, she suggesLed Lo counLer Lhe narrowlng of bloeLhlcs by percepLlon of
oLhers and Lo Lake eplsLemlcally marglnallzed groups (e.g. paLlenLs) lnLo accounL more
lnLenslvely lnsLead of merely anLlclpaLlng Lhelr perspecLlve formally. 1he prlnclple of

3
WlLh reference Lo 8verfCL 88, 203 - C4,1'&7%)34,'F+3'..)84, @@ (28 May 1993).
2013] 437 8loeLhlcs, 8lopollLlcs, 8lolaw: Conference 8eporL
lmparLlallLy would be essenLlal as a moral polnL of vlew ln Lhe pracLlcal dlscourse. llnally,
lnsLead of proLecLlonlsm concernlng parLlcular dlsclpllnes, a cerLaln self-lronlzaLlon would
be necessary so LhaL Lhe dlsclpllnes could geL LogeLher sysLemaLlcally along a self-crlLlcal
llne. Lspeclally Lhe quesLlon as Lo wheLher lmparLlallLy should aL all be a vlrLue of a
bloeLhlclsL domlnaLed Lhe dlscusslon of Lhls presenLaLlon.

1he second parL of Lhe conference focused on more parLlcular Loplcs, sLarLlng wlLh
posslblllLles for unlversallzaLlon of fundamenLal values ln bloeLhlcs and blopollLlcs.
rofessor ur. SLefan 8eck, lnsLlLuLe for Luropean LLhnology aL Lhe PumboldL unlverslLy of
8erlln, addressed Lhe example of ln vlLro ferLlllzaLlon ln Cermany, 1urkey and CreaL 8rlLaln.
8eferrlng Lo a sLudy on medlcal Lourlsm he descrlbed blo-medlcal moblllLy. Well
esLabllshed culLural borders are belng crossed along wlLh sLaLe borders, Lhereby creaLlng
norm confllcLs whlch can be aLLrlbuLed Lo globallzaLlon and LransnaLlonal regulaLlon.
normaLlve orders used Lo be connecLed Lo naLural groups, up Lo meLhodologlcal
naLlonallsm and eLhnocenLrlc soclologlcal Lheorles. 8eck called for a shlfL from blopollLlcs
Lo Lhe analysls of blo-pollcles vla a dense comparlson of pracLlces. WlLh regard Lo
pragmaLlc reglmes, he referred Lo frames of values offerlng orlenLaLlon, Lo de-
economlzaLlon and Lo Lhe connecLlons beLween alLrulsm and explolLaLlon. Cne example
dealL wlLh reclplenLs of donaLed gameLes who aLLach lmporLance Lo Lhe volunLary naLure
of Lhe donaLlon. AnoLher example dealL wlLh blologlcal and soclal relaLlves, especlally ln
connecLlon wlLh famlly secreLs concernlng blologlcal orlgln. Pere, a Lrend Lowards
lncreaslng openness ln handllng such slLuaLlons can be observed. Accordlng Lo 8eck, as far
as bloeLhlcally relevanL cross-border regulaLlon ls deslrable, lL ls lmposslble, and as far as lL
ls posslble, lL ls undeslrable. Pe expressed a general warnlng abouL fundamenLal values
and abouL culLure. 1he aLLempL Lo unlversallze values confllcLs wlLh Lhe self-descrlpLlon of
modern socleLles as culLure-relaLlve. 8aLher Lhan deflnlng fundamenLal values, lL ls crlLlcal
Lo regulaLe pragmaLlc reglmes and Lo organlze leglLlmacy confllcLs dlscurslvely. Sclence
would have Lhe funcLlon Lo moderaLe by maklng leglLlmacy confllcLs LransparenL and
dlscusslble.

SubsequenLly, rofessor ur. ulrlch M. Cassner, unlverslLy of Augsburg, resumed Lhe legal
dlscusslon wlLh hls conLrlbuLlon on sLrucLures of LhoughL and argumenLaLlon wlLh regard Lo
knowledge, uncerLalnLy and nesclence ln blolaw. Pavlng descrlbed Lhe semanLlcs of
knowledge-based socleLy and rlsk socleLy he demonsLraLed developmenLs from resldual
rlsk Lo baslc rlsk accompanled by Lhe pollLlclzaLlon of nesclence. nesclence could be
conLrol-orlenLed, complexlLy-orlenLed or case-orlenLed. 1he plurallzaLlon of Lhe
percepLlons of knowledge causes lmpreclse dlsLlncLlons beLween knowledge confllcLs and
value confllcLs. knowledge confllcLs Lend Lo muLaLe lnLo value confllcLs, whlch can be
observed ln Lhe blopollLlcal dlscourse whlch Lurned ouL Lo be more pollcy based Lhan
sclence based. 8egardlng sLrucLures of LhoughL and argumenLaLlon ln blolaw, Cassner
concluded LhaL knowledge confllcLs are LreaLed as value confllcLs whlle Lhe envlronmenL
for Lhls LreaLmenL ls nesclence. 8eyond Lhe usual argumenL sLrucLures, bloeLhlcal
sLrucLures of argumenLaLlon could be characLerlzed by eLhlcally affecLed dlscusslons abouL
[vol. 14 no. 02 438 Cer ma n L a w ! our na l
fundamenLal rlghLs. Cassner crlLlclzes LhaL Lhe lndlvldual splrlLual welfare ls glven prlorlLy
over dlscourse. An experLocracy" could noL prove lLself agalnsL Lhe Lyranny of bloeLhlcal
values". ln Lhe end, he dlrecLed aLLenLlon Loward quesLlons concernlng a rlghL Lo
nesclence. uurlng Lhe ensulng debaLe, oplnlons dlffered as Lo wheLher Lhe LransformaLlon
of knowledge confllcLs lnLo value confllcLs ls wlse or wheLher Lhe law swlLches Lo values
Loo qulckly so LhaL Lhere ls raLher a need for converslon of quesLlons on value lnLo
quesLlons on uncerLalnLy.

1hereafLer, rofessor ur. 8enaLe MarLlnsen, unlverslLy of uulsburg-Lssen, presenLed her
conLrlbuLlon Lo Lhe concepL of leglLlmacy and leglLlmlzlng mechanlsms ln blopollLlcs from a
pollLlcal sclence perspecLlve. Per openlng Lhesls: 1he sLaLe should uLlllze pollLlcal
dlscourses as a resource for leglLlmacy as Lhere ls a need for a new consLrucLlvlsL formaLlon
of dlscurslve pollLlcal forums. 8eferrlng Lo elemenLs of dellberaLlon Lheory, she explalned
LhaL leglLlmacy comprlses boLh a normaLlve clalm Lo leglLlmacy dlrecLed aL accepLlng values
and an emplrlcal bellef ln leglLlmacy dlrecLed aL accepLlng declslons. 1he laLLer could be
regarded as a consLrucLlvlsL elemenL. 1here ls a crlsls of leglLlmacy because experLlse and
Lhe sLaLe's capaclLy for acLlon (boLh ouLwards and lnwards) reach Lhelr llmlLs. Powever,
dlscourses of dlfferenL forms offer leglLlmaLlon reserves. Pere, soclal prerequlslLes of
leglLlmaLlon are of cenLral lmporLance. ln Lhe classlcal undersLandlng, dlscourses produce
procedurally lnsLrucLed dlssenL and Lhe lncenLlve of dellberaLlve pollLlcal forums ls ofLen an
lmpedlng obsLacle Lo declslon-maklng. aradoxlcally, skepLlclsm abouL dlscourse goes
along wlLh appeals for dlscourse. ln order Lo explaln Lhe aLLracLlveness of dlscourses for
pollLlcs, MarLlnsen proposes a posL-classlcal lnLerpreLaLlon. ulscurslve mechanlsms
followlng cerLaln procedures would have Lhe poLenLlal Lo enable declslons by
subordlnaLlng Lhem Lo cerLaln rules. 1hey could supporL Lhe plurallsLlc relaLlvlzaLlon of
norm perspecLlves". 1hls would requlre Lhe separaLlon of Lhe dlscurslve mechanlsms from
Lhe procedures of pollLlcal declslon-maklng. WlLh such polyconLexLurallLy, a valuable
basellne could be creaLed, noL by muLual undersLandlng buL raLher by unfoldlng a
producLlvlLy of varlous mlsundersLandlngs. ulscurslve effecLs lnclude Lhe leglLlmaLlon of
dlscurslve resulLs ln Lhe vlew of oLher parLles. lncreased leglLlmlzaLlon, Lhus, occurs on Lhe
ouLpuL slde alLhough Lhe acLors Lhemselves are noL leglLlmlzed. 8uL leglLlmlzaLlon of
democraLlc processes ls generaLed mulLldlmenslonally. ln her ouLlook, MarLlnsen lndlcaLed
LhaL lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy and emplrlcal sLudles are essenLlal.

1he conference closed by addresslng opporLunlLles for fuLure lnLerdlsclpllnary work ln
areas concerned wlLh bloeLhlcal quesLlons. rofessor ur. Pelner langerau, unlverslLy of
ulm, lnsLlLuLe for PlsLory, 1heory and LLhlcs of Medlclne, reporLed on how Lo connecL
bloeLhlcs, blolaw and blopollLlcs ln lnLerdlsclpllnary neLworks. Pls core alm ls Lo develop a
unlversal sclence of Lhe llvlng. 1he meLhodology of lnLerdlsclpllnary cooperaLlon should be
reflned and, ulLlmaLely, become Lransdlsclpllnary. lL would be characLerlzed by exceedlng
Lhe llmlLaLlons on sclenLlflc dlsclpllnes and Lhe llmlLaLlons on lnsLlLuLlons whlch ofLen do
noL represenL sclenLlflc needs. 8lo" would be Lhe boundary ob[ecL whlch derlves from Lhe
facL LhaL parLlcular dlsclpllnes reach Lhelr respecLlve llmlLaLlons. langerau suggesLs LhaL an
2013] 439 8loeLhlcs, 8lopollLlcs, 8lolaw: Conference 8eporL
analysls of neLworks of dlfferenL denslLles dependlng on Lhe degree of Lhe relaLlonshlps
could serve as a heurlsLlc lnsLrumenL Lo ldenLlfy so-called brokers and cenLral persons
wlLhln Lhe neLwork. As an example, he porLrayed Lhe lnLerconnecLedness of sclenLlflc
proponenLs of eugenlcs ln Lhe LwenLles of Lhe pasL cenLury and showed LhaL neLwork
concepLs could enable evaluaLlon of lnLerdlsclpllnary research aLLempLs.

1he concludlng conLrlbuLlon by Lhe phllosopher rofessor ur. eLra Cehrlng, 1echnlcal
unlverslLy of uarmsLadL, dealL wlLh Lhe quesLlon of how and ln whaL way eLhlcs could have
a pollLlcal funcLlon. She undersLands Lhe Lerm bloeLhlcs" broadly. lleld-speclflc eLhlcs
could noL auLomaLlcally be quallfled as applled eLhlcs. 1hey ofLen merely conLaln a moral
for a cerLaln professlon wlLhouL any comprehenslve approach whlch would make lL applled
eLhlcs. Cnly wlLh an academlc amblLlon - parLlcular and lnLerdlsclpllnary research,
consulLaLlon Lo pollLlcs, law-maklng, publlc dlscourse - could bloeLhlcs become applled
eLhlcs. lurLher, Lhere ls a speclal connecLlon wlLh Lhe pollLlcal sysLem, such as Lhe
lnLerllnklng ln healLh pollLlcs and legal pollLlcs. 1hls could be assessed poslLlvely ln Lerms of
democraLlzaLlon, Lransparency and sclenLlflc responslblllLy, or raLher negaLlvely ln Lerms of
producLlon of ldeology and a generaLlon of boughL experLlse. Cehrlng summarlzed LhaL
applled eLhlcs, especlally bloeLhlcs, Lransform genulnely pollLlcal problems lnLo dlscourse
formaLs whlch are aL Lhe same Llme close Lo sclence and Lo Lhe general publlc. ulfferences
ln experLlse play a slgnlflcanL role. 8loeLhlcs would even have Lhe pollLlcal funcLlon LhaL
eLhlcs replace pollLlcs ln a narrow sense, especlally by vlrLue of elemenLs of sofL declslon-
maklng.

AlLogeLher, Lhe conference enabled a deLalled examlnaLlon of Lhe dlmenslons and conLenLs
of bloeLhlcs, blolaw and blopollLlcs as well as of Lhelr connecLlons wlLh each oLher. 1he
varlous perspecLlves of Lhe parLlcular dlsclpllnes and Lhe aLLempLs of sysLemaLlzaLlon
clarlfled Lhe respecLlve conLexLs of Lhe Lerms and Lhe conLrlbuLlons durlng Lhe dlscusslons
were lnLenslve and frulLful. A conference volume wlll be publlshed. uesplLe many famlllar
and many revealed dlssenLs, Lhere was consensus among Lhe parLlclpanLs LhaL bloeLhlcs,
blolaw and blopollLlcs lead Lo a mulLlLude of new challenges and requlre lnLerdlsclpllnary
approaches.