The Cultural Models of the Origins of Life and Stem Cell Debate in Taiwan

Recent controversies in Europe as well as the U.S. on issues related to biotechnology, such as stem cell research, are in the forefront of public affairs. The latter, in particular, is extremely problematic and is nearly as divisive as the issue of abortion due to its implication on the definitions of life, Nature and God in the Christian tradition. Even in debates without religious overtones, the ethical and moral questions of the ‘constitution’ of a human being still remain unanswered. In either case, the rationale of relevant arguments is mostly rooted in the Western tradition of the Great Chain of Being that can be traced back to Aristotle (Lovejoy, 1936). Conversely, such debates are relatively low-key in some Asian countries such as China, Taiwan and South Korea, despite elaborate research is also under way in these countries. Most people may draw the line on human cloning, but are fairly tolerant about using embryonic stem cell methodology in Asia. In order to investigate whether this relatively ‘pragmatic’ view on such research is consistent with the Chinese overall view on life and nature or is simply due to lack of information and influence of global competition, some cultural models explaining the origin of universe and human beings in ancient Chinese mythology and philosophies (2953-206 BC) were examined. The result shows that human beings may still be at the top of the Great Chain of Being in Chinese culture; however, through the influence of Taoism and Confucianism, their connection to nature and the ‘superior power’ can be a very flexible one that allows a less dogmatic interpretation. Due to this, certain issues in Biotech research may well be treated differently.