WHICH BIOETHICS ONLINE? Mª Teresa López de la Vieja Edificio FES, Campus M. de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca (SPAIN) tlv@usal.es Abstract Communication through new technologies opens the space and the style of exchanging information. Institutes and universities offer online resources, many lectures and workshops are recorded and accessible in Internet. Education in Bioethics could expand with the communication technologies. Indeed, in professional and academic sets, many changes are going on, thanks to the ICT. But they are much more than useful tools; they have their own rules and impose some constrictions, as every technology usually does. At the same time, the new channels for the exchange of information could not transform, by themselves, the old practices nor efface the difficult issues either. In Bioethics, the use of the ICT and, especially, of Internet represents a challenge and, actually, it raises many questions. The main question is not only how exchanges and dissemination of bioethical information could be modified by the intensive use of the ICT. The question is rather how these ICT influence or even alter the production of bioethical discourse. Which model would be more suitable for the new channels? (1) At least there are three models of theory, based on principles, on evidences, and on narrative. Bioethics and its turns go more and more online, but which one? (2) The affinity between individual autonomy in Bioethics and the fragmentation in cyberspace would explain some agreements and, at the same time, some estrangements between practical argumentation and the use of the ITCs. (3) For instance, because of some salient traits of Internet, probably some debates online about basic principles and about specific data could be less versatile than the storytelling about singular cases in Bioethics. The narrative turn, could be amplified by the new channels? (4) This is only a suggestion, since the ITCs and Internet offer a wide range of possibilities, in every area. Keywords: Bioethics, model of principles, narrative Bioethics, evidence-based model, cyberspace. 1 INTRODUCTION Education in Bioethics could expand with the communication technologies, more data and evidences are at hand online, open to experts and non-experts. Indeed, in professional and academic sets, many changes are going on, thanks to the ICT. But they are much more than useful tools; they have their own rules and impose some constrictions, as every technology usually does. At the same time, the new channels for the exchange of information could not transform, by themselves, the old practices nor efface the difficult issues either. In Bioethics, questions are always open to arguments, Bioethics online is probably more exposed to arguments in favour and against, since the information is more within reach. The use of the ICT and, especially, of Internet in this field represents a challenge and, actually, it raises many questions. Can we already talk about “e-Ethics” or “e-Bioethics”? What is really new and what remains or should remain from the standard discipline? The debates proceed in that line, showing that applied Ethics is expanding just because new possibilities lead to new dilemmas. Nevertheless, Bioethics is a very plural discipline, with different perspectives and methodologies, from principled model to Casuistry. So, the question is not only how exchanges and dissemination of bioethical information could be modified by the intensive use of the ICT. The question is rather how these ICT influence or even alter the production of bioethical discourse. Which model would be more suitable for the new channels? Could Internet give better support to a model of principles? Would narrative Bioethics collect more information and more stories in cyberspace? (1) Here the aim is to consider the construction of Bioethics in the new context. At least there are three models of theory, based on principles, on evidences, and on narrative. Do they offer possibilities to produce a distinctive discourse for the web? Bioethics and its turns go more and more online, but which one? Now, individualism and fragmentation seem part of cyberspace. This segmentation on the web, how relevant is it for practical deliberation? (2) The affinity between individual autonomy in Bioethics and the fragmentation of data and opinions in cyberspace would explain some agreements Proceedings of EDULEARN13 Conference 1st-3rd July 2013, Barcelona, Spain ISBN: 978-84-616-3822-2 4985