Overview

Van Rensselaer Potter II (August 27, 1911 - September 6, 2001) was an American biochemist. He was professor of oncology at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for more than 50 years.

In 1970, Dr. Potter created the term bioethics to describe a new philosophy that sought to integrate biology, ecology, medicine, and human values. Bioethics is often linked to environmental ethics and stands in sharp contrast to biomedical ethics. Because of this confusion (and appropriation of the term in medicine), Potter chose to use the term global bioethics in 1988. Bioethics is a new philosophy that seeks to integrate biology, ecology, and medicine with human values.

Author of:

• Global Bioethics: Building on the Leopold Legacy by Van Rensselaer Potter (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1988).

• Bioethics: Bridge to the Future by Van Rensselaer Potter (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1971).

• Global Bioethics: Converting Sustainable Development to Global Survival. Van Rensselaer Potter, Ph.D., Lisa Potter, B.A. (1995).

• Author of "Global Bioethics: Building on the Leopold Legacy" (Michigan State Univ Pr 1988).

References

Van Rensselaer Potter - wikipedia
Van Rensselaer Potter - obituary