Abstract

In this article, with special regard to biopolitics, I will challenge the common assumption in the social sciences that the rise of ethics is deeply associated with a process of de-politicisation. Rather, I will show that the usual unease in the social sciences with the rise of ethics is inappropriate for the most part. Taking national ethics councils as an example, I will show that currently the consensus approach in policy advice is challenged by a deliberation model evolved and established under the dominance of the ethical discourse. As ethical deliberation corresponds to the basic cornerstones of democratic debate, the current trend towards an ethicisation of technology may help politicising technology issues. In my view, we should understand the contemporary tendency to negotiate biopolitical issues under the header of ethics as an opportunity for politicization.