PHL Flashcards
technological innovation in medicine
developments in medical knowledge and techniques have played a major role in reshaping cultural and legal attitudes toward contraception and abortion.
challenges in ethical theory
in philosophical bioethics, careful analysis can help make some progress on some issues.
moral nihilism
there are no moral facts, moral truths, and no moral knowledge.
- nothing is right or wrong
- morality is an illusion that should be abandoned
- moderate nihilists do not recommend abandoning morality… they offer a theory
theory from moderate nihilists
Emotivism- morality expresses our feelings
- author agrees that there is some emotion toward morals, but it does not mean assigning feelings ultimate authority
another form of moderate moral nihilism
Ethical Relativism: morality relative to society/culture
- right or wrong determined by culture
- not very good theory. not true.
ethical theories
they offer one idea as the key to morality and attempt to reduce everything to that one idea
utilitarians
right actions are those that promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number
- if they promote the opposite of happiness, then they are wrong
- principle of utility: greatest happiness principle
- actions that promote happiness have positive utility
- a consequentialist theory
- can be a violation of ought-> can
kantians
right actions are those that can be consistently willed universally
act-utilitarianism
primarily concerned with the consequences of specific acts
rule-utilitarianism
primarily concerned with consequences of general policies
Kantian ethics
argues that consequences can never make an action right or wrong
- an action that brings a lot of happiness might still be wrong
- good consequences can never make a wrong action right
- the ends do not justify the means
- rejects consequentialism
- pain is not always bad and pleasure is not always good
- our rationality is far more important than what we feel
- we human beings are separated from everything in the world bc of our moral status
- people have intrinsic worth and must be treated as ends in themselves and not merely as a means to some other end
- ALL person must be treated equally
Utilitarian approach
- killing one innocent person and using their organs to save 4 other people
- this would be right since there is a net gain in four lives
Kantian approach
- killing one innocent person and using their organs to save 4 other people
- here we are treating the innocent person to use their organs as a mere means and could never be justified. this is murder.
- Kant doesnt say that we should ignore the consequences of actions, they should only be considered after determining that the action is morally permissible
- if you act right (regardless of consequences), you are not responsible for any bad effects
- duty should be independent of consequences
social contract theory
- we ought to fulfill obligations that we agreed to
mutual advantage theory
- denies natural duties to others
impartial theory
- people are ends in themselves
- everyone deserves equality
- self interests amounts to acting impartially
- equality… we must guarantee universal access to heath care
- Veil of ignorance: moral duty to our commitment to others and putting ourselves in their shoes (being empathetic).
Rawls approach
Dr. Brody’s dilemma
- each individual has maximum liberty possible
- protect weak and vulnerable who cannot bargain for themselves.
- > approve if it promoted individual autonomy
- > disapprove if it violated equal respect for persons
Religious ethics
- Not an ethical theory.
- EX: Roman Catholic Church has considerable unanimity (well developed written body of though on medical moral issues).
Natural Law Theories
- we desire things bc they are good. not that things are good bc we desire them
- focuses on what makes us humans, distinctive: ability to reason
- suffering is not bad bc bc it allows us to appreciate god
- do good and avoid evil
Natural law approach
- not to give Lasken the shot bc “life is precious in the eyes of god”
The doctrine of the double effect (DDE)
- useful for justifying an action that has a bad effect
- created bc an act may. have both good/bad effect
- doctors job is to ease pain, not kill. giving drugs for pain is not wrong bc the good effect is produced by administering the drug, not by the bad effect (death of patient)
- critics say that the principle is confusing and difficult to apply.
Ordinary Treatment
treatment that is obligatory
Extraordinary Treatment
no obligation to provide