Bioinspired Approaches and Their Philosophical-Ethical Dimensions: A Narrative Review.

Abstract

The environmental crisis demands transformative solutions on both technological and societal levels. Bioinspired approaches, which draw from the principles of natural systems, have emerged as a promising interdisciplinary framework to address these challenges. These approaches not only drive technological innovation but also provoke critical philosophical and ethical discourse, particularly in the field of biomimicry. Philosophical and ethical questions include: How can we ethically justify drawing inspiration from nature without exploiting it? How might a shift toward a bioinspired perspective alter our relationship with nature? How could a reorientation toward nature influence ethical frameworks and guide human behavior toward the environment? This narrative review systematically examines key philosophical and ethical perspectives within biomimicry, while focusing on potentials as well as limitations of these approaches to the environmental crisis. In doing so, it explores key perspectives such as "biomimetic ethics", the "ontology of nature", "bioinclusivity", and the "naturalistic fallacy".