Methodological transformations of bioethics. The vector of modern development

Throughout its existence, bioethics has undergone continuous transformation, driven by shifts in its subject matter that, in turn, demand new approaches, altered research perspectives, and methodological shifts. Emerging from the tensions between advancing technologies and human values, bioethics originated as a normative science. In this early stage, a prominent role was given to methodologies derived from philosophical theories aimed at establishing ethical and legal norms (B.G. Yudin). However, within two decades, the limitations of a purely normative approach - which championed impartiality and was devoid of cultural context - became apparent. This recognition prompted a methodological shift towards descriptive ethics, leading to the formation of a new bioethics concept termed the “empirical turn”. These changes were responses to methodological crises stemming from the estrangement of traditional biomedical ethics from the particularities of social practices in normative decision-making, and its inability to account for sociocultural dynamics and regional specificities. Consequently, a need arose to incorporate the approaches of the social sciences, resulting in several distinct “turns” within bioethics (e.g., anthropological, cultural, relational, empirical, digital). Among these, the empirical turn is central, signifying the methodological shift wherein methods and data from the social sciences were systematically adopted. In the process of establishing this new analytical vector and expanding its subject area, the digitalization of healthcare has precipitated a digital shift (occurring within the broader empirical turn), which, under certain conditions, may facilitate a return to philosophical traditions. Therefore, in answering the question of the status and place of bioethics within the system of knowledge, modern bioethics can be definitively characterized as an institutionalized direction of transdisciplinary research. This research is focused on the consequences of the emergence and application of biomedical technologies. The evolution of bioethics reflects the development of science within its general methodology. The emergence of the empirical turn is a logical outcome of this development, representing a progression from the normative to the descriptive, from abstract theoretical constructs to the study of facts, and from prescribing “how it should be” to understanding “how it is”. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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