The present work focus on factors that contributed to the emerging field of Bioethic. Among, those, we point out: a) technological and scientific revolution; b) social revolution of the 60's. It describes the historical development of Bioethic, from its former definition as a science of human survival to its current stage - Global Bioethic and its boundaries with different fields of knowledge. Health Psychology takes part in this multidisciplinary context, mainly due to its reflection upon challenging themes that involve Bioethics; among these themes, we discuss here those brought about by intensive medicine (euthanasia and disthanasia) and the ones that are a consequence of substitutive medicine (transplants). Basic questions, such as death definition, free and informed consent, are analysed as still polemic and controversial. The article is concluded raising questions upon the chimeras of science to triumph over diseases and the problems brought about by the cannibal order, that are expected to diminish as a consequence of the progress of etiological and physiological therapeutics.
Bioethic; health psychology; challenging themes