Panel: ON CONSERVATION



1.7 - 
THE "EWW-FACTOR": COULD DISGUST SHAPE THE BIO-CONSERVATIVE V. BIO-LIBERAL DEBATE ON BIOTECHNOLOGIES?

AUTHORS:
Ropelato T. (Fondazione Bruno Kessler - Center for Religious Studies ~ Trento ~ Italy)
Text:
This presentation explores how "disgust sensitivity" could shape and influence bioethical reasoning regarding the use of reproductive biotechnologies to manipulate or even create life. By positioning disgust as a central, socially constructed moral emotion, the study aims to reframe the bioconservative versus bioliberal debate, investigating whether this sense of repulsion and discomfort can act as a bridge between these opposing ideologies or merely serve as a polarizing emotion. The appeal to the "pureness" of natural reproduction often drives ideological opposition to technological interventions. The presentation questions whether this appeal could also be a tool for ethical self-reflection, fostering a protective stance toward human dignity in the context of reproductive biotechnologies. By addressing "disgust sensitivity" as a factor not only in conservative socio-political attitudes but also in moral reasoning, the aim is to highlight its significant role, especially concerning groundbreaking reproductive technologies such as ectogenesis, gene editing, and stem-cell embryo derivation.