Hans Jonas and the promotion of V.R. Potter's global bioethics

VR Potter's bioethics celebrates its first 50 years in 2020. The scientist concerned with advances in science, without due ethical knowledge, proposes a dialogue between the sciences and the humanities, in order to achieve the necessary wisdom on how to use knowledge in view of the common good, in order to ensure the future of humanity. From this initial bridge between the sciences and the humanities, Potter later proposes other bridges, especially with the biomedical sciences, as he identifies that human health depends on the environment in which the individual is inserted, which he classifies as global bioethics. The work The principle of responsibility, by Hans Jonas, in 2019, celebrated 40 years. Although Jonas did not use the term bioethics, the philosopher devoted part of his life to the interdisciplinary work at the Hastings Center, to reflect on themes that today belong to the universe of bioethics. Thus, this reflection wants to know: how Hans Jonas's philosophy contributes to the construction of an epistemological statute to VR Potter's global bioethics? It is a bibliographic research, of a narrative character, based on the works of the scientist and the philosopher and their commentators. It is concluded that although Jonas did not use the bioethical expression in his reflection, the philosopher did not ignore the problems emerging from his time, but classified them within the universe of practical ethics. Therefore, his philosophical production, built mainly from interdisciplinary work practice, constitutes a true epistemological statute to bioethics, in search of ethical foundations to protect human and extra-human life in the future, which makes the philosopher a true bioethicist.