Reconstructing Al-Farabi’s ethical framework in contemporary bioethics: genetics, reproduction, and technological challenges

Nurgul Tattibek, Meirgul Ungarova, Asset Kuranbek, Jakipbek Altayev

Philosophy Ethics and Humanities in Medicine, 2026

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DOI 10.1186/s13010-026-00224-3
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Contemporary bioethics operates within pluralistic societies, where ethical reasoning is not confined to prescriptive frameworks but rather involves deliberation across competing moral perspectives. Although the dominant approaches remain largely Western, there has been an increasing interest in integrating non-Western philosophical traditions. This study examines whether Al-Farabi's ethical framework can contribute to contemporary bioethical discourse without assuming direct conceptual equivalence. METHODS: The study employed a sequential mixed-methods design integrating lexical analysis, hermeneutic reconstruction, and empirical validation. A corpus of seven key works by Al-Farabi, including The Attainment of Happiness and The Virtuous City, was analysed to identify recurring ethical concepts. These concepts were then subjected to contextual hermeneutic interpretation and subsequently operationalised into survey constructs. Data were collected from 265 medical and bioethics professionals and analysed using ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, logistic regression, and chi-squared tests. RESULTS: The findings indicate statistically significant, albeit weak, associations between the reconstructed ethical constructs of Al-Farabi and contemporary bioethical attitudes. The justice construct was negatively associated with the acceptance of gene-editing interventions (F(1, 263) = 4.02, p = 0.047; r = - 0.122; odds ratio (OR) = 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.62-0.98], p = 0.041; chi-squared (χ²) test, 1 degree of freedom (df), p = 0.047). The virtue construct was positively associated with support for government involvement in reproductive policy (F(1, 263) = 4.18, p = 0.043; r = 0.124; OR = 1.21, 95% CI [1.01-1.45], p = 0.038; χ²(1) = 4.11, p = 0.043). A weak positive correlation was observed between justice and autonomy (r = 0.144, p = 0.019). Model fit remained low (Nagelkerke R² = 0.03-0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a limited but consistent alignment between the reconstructed elements of Al-Farabi's ethical framework and contemporary bioethical reasoning. While these findings do not indicate conceptual equivalence, they support the inclusion of non-Western philosophical perspectives as complementary analytical resources in bioethics, particularly in deliberative and intercultural contexts.