THE PROBLEM OF MORAL AGENCY IN BIOART

Abstract

The meaning of creating aesthetic value has been defined as an activity as an end in itself in the sense of not serving any other interest or human need. In this respect, art seems free of social value judgements and practical concerns. In parallel, an artist’s conflict with social values is accepted as normal in the name of the freedom of artistic expression. The risk of moralism causes a separation between ethics and aesthetic values. The discussion surrounding "moralism" and "artistic autonomy" revolves around the argument for a clear separation between art and ethics, or their integration with one another. Whereas moralism reduces aesthetic value to ethical value, autonomism claims autonomy of aesthetic and ethical values because of the legacy of ethical criticisms. In this respect, this article dwells on the limits of art’s moral agency by placing it outside the extreme divide between moralism and autonomism. For this aim, the claim that every artwork cannot necessarily be subjected to ethical judgement or agency, because not all artworks consist of propositional knowledge, will be eliminated. Second, considering the fact that nonpropositional artwork is immanent to the social networks that they emerge from and their mutual effects on these networks, it will be asserted that artwork as a fabrication of reality can be seen as responsible for its actions. The relationship between art and ethics when the subject matter is "living beings" will be assessed through a bioethical lens by analyzing notable examples of bioart. Does art have a responsibility to treat living beings? The use of biotechnology by artistic aims and the forms of how bioengineered life becomes an artistic medium can be seen as either a break from traditional art and an artistic revolution or an intervention to “natural” processes and destroy the perception of the nature-human relationship. To emphasize the moral responsibility of new media art involving biotechnologies, it is recommended to concentrate on their connection to the broader social-material field and their impact, in addition to the physical characteristics of these artworks or the medium through which they are presented. By examining the impact of these artwork on biotechnological networks and societal relationships, it is possible to trace their ethical and political effects and differentiate the boundaries of their moral agency within the realm of bioart.