Abstract

It is now known that the term bioethics (Bio-Etik) was coined in 1927 by Fritz Jahr, in a work published in Kosmos magazine. In this ground breaking article an audiovisual resource is mentioned for the first time, as inspiration for the concept of bioethics. The reference is to Wagner’s Parsifal where, in the first act, we are confronted by the death of a swan at the hands of a reckless archer. This passage has influenced Jahr’s thinking when he set out to outline the principles that should govern the treatment of animals, especially when these become the object of scientific investigations. This work explains that creative and scientific process using Hans-Jürge Syberber‘s 1982 cinematographic version of Parsifal, in commemoration of the hundred years since the debut of Wagner’s opera.

Key Words: Syberberg | Bioethics| Audiovisual resources