Natural or Unnatural—An Application of the Taoist Thought to Bioethics

The rapid progress of biotechnology has enabled physicians to substantially prolong a patient's life through the aid of life-sustaining systems. Is life supported by manmade devises natural or unnatural? If unnatural, is the huge amount of money spent justifiable? How would a practitioner of Taoism, who regards artificiality as evil, feel about all the new biotechnologies that utilize machines to save a person's life? This article depicts the Taoist teachings and argues that if unnatural measures are used to restore a person's natural ability to function, the unnatural measures become the vehicles to affirm life, and are thus ethical and justifiable.