Claremont Lincoln University
The 2012 Claremont International Jain Conference
Bioethics: Religious and Spiritual Approaches
August 24-25, 2012
Claremont Lincoln University, Mudd Auditorium
1325 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA 91711
About:
Co-sponsored by Claremont Lincoln University, the International School for Jain Studies, Jain Center of Southern California, and the Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA)
The rapid growth of the medical sciences and of medical technologies has given doctors the ability to diagnose and to cure as never before. At the same time, these breakthroughs raise perplexing ethical questions: when does life begin, and when does it end? When is the quality of life so compromised that doctors should cease further interventions? What is informed consent? What constraints should apply to research on human subjects? And, above all, how can the sanctity of life be preserved? This conference will bring the resources of Jainism (see note below), of the dharma traditions of India, and of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions in general to bear on the most difficult bioethical questions of our day.
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Brian Cummings (UC Irvine)
“Stem Cell Therapies for Neurological Disorders: What is the science, what is the hype?”
Dr. Cromwell Crawford (University of Hawaii)
"Can Religions Contribute to Understanding Bioethics?"
D.K. Bobra, M.D. (Vascular Surgical Associates, Phoenix, AZ)
"Living with Non-Violence"
Dr. James Hughes (Trinity College, CT)
"How Do We Care for Future People?"
Paper presenters include:
- Dr. Ram Agarwal (University of Miami): "Hindu Bioethics in the Present Medical Context"
- Whitney Braun (Claremont Graduate University): "Sallekhana: The Ethicality and Legality of Religious Suicide in the Jain Religious Community and the Ramifications of its Practice for Future Generations"
- Dr. Christopher Key Chapple (Loyola Marymount University): "The Bioethics of Death in Jainism"
- Dr. Predrag Cicovacki (College of the Holy Cross): "Reverence for Life Versus Killing"
- Seth Clark (Claremont Graduate University): "Reincarnation and Near Death Experiences: Dealing with Death from a SGI Buddhist Perspective"
- Brianne Donaldson (Claremont Lincoln University): "Why Animals Need Jainism to Differ with Science: A Jain Intervention in the Discourse of Bioethics"
- Rabbi Elliot Dorff (American Jewish University): “Rachel said to Jacob, ‘Give Me Children or I Shall Die’”
- Dr. Robert Hesse (President, Contemplative Network): "Conscience and Consciousness"
- Subhash C. Jain (University of Iowa): "Karma Doctrine and Bioethics"
- Dr. Varsha Mehta (University of Michigan): "Ethical Dilemmas of Neonatal Practice"
- Dr. John Ray Peteet (Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Tom Peteet (University of Massachusetts), co-presenters: "Signature Religious Virtues in Bioethics"
- Dr. Surendra Singh Pokharna (Former Scientist, Indian Space Research Organization): "Exploration of General Systems Theory and Jain Philosophy"
- Jain Samani Unnata Pragya (Florida International University): "Is Ethics to Render Justice, Punish or Empathize? (A Jain Ethical Perspective in Context of Disabled Children)"
- Jain Samani Dr. Chaitanya Pragyaji (Florida International University): "Sallekhana and Euthanasia: A Question of Sanctity and Bioethics"
- Faisal Qazi (President, Medical Network Devoted to Service [MiNDS]): "The Degree of Certainty in Brain Death: Probability in Clinical and Islamic Legal Discourse"
- Rabbi Harold Rabinowitz (author of Religion in America): "Why a Jew Should Care what a Jain Believes: The Evolving Jewish Ethic of Human-Animal Relations"
Register now through July 31st and receive the early discounted registration rate ($45 for general admission, $20 for non-Claremont students, $10 for Claremont students, and free for Claremont faculty/staff). Registration includes (vegan) Jain food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on both days; and transportation from Claremont Lincoln University to the Jain Center of Southern California in Buena Park on Saturday, August 25th, for a dinner hosted by the Jain community, followed by a Jain cultural program. Register here.
For additional information on the 2012 Claremont International Jain Conference, including the conference schedule, and travel/hotel information, please visit our website, or join us on Facebook. For questions, please contact .