Arnold Gehlen's Theory of Institutions: A Contribution to the Analysis of Bioethics Institutions

The research of historical development of bioethics has rarely had the phenomenon of bioethics institutions as the focus of its interest. In the first part of the present paper a historical overview of bioethics is exposed. Subsequently, the major theses of the most important theories of institutions (sociological, anthropological/philosophical, etc.) are discussed. The central part of the paper deals with the theory of institutions by Arnold Gehlen. According to that theory, institutions are social constructs in which life purposes are collectively accepted and realized. The man creates those constructs aiming at alleviation from uncertainty of his own existence, subjective motivation, and continuous improvization in decision making. Concluding part of the paper provides an analysis of the potentials and limitations of the application of Arnold Gehlen's theory of institutions in an attempt of investigating the phenomenon of bioethics institutions.