What is Bioethics?

Question 1

What was Van Rensselaer Potter’s thought on bioethics (1970)?

Answer 1

Biology combined with diverse humanistic knowledge forging a science that sets a system of medical and environmental priorities for acceptable survival

Question 2

Why should we engage in animal bioethics?

Answer 2

• Intellectual integrity
• convincing arguments to support opinions
• allow consideration of welfare of animals in science

Question 3

What is the origin of our ethical nature?

Answer 3

• egotistical prudence
• altruism

Question 4

What is egotistic prudence? Thomas Hobbes (17th c)

Answer 4

• increase competition came with increased human density
• Survival and social order only possible with a reluctant bargain
• it is inconsistent with altruism

Question 5

What is alturism?

Answer 5

An act that benifits another, possibly at the cost of the actor
- act through natural selection

Question 6

What does alturisum activate within the brain?

Answer 6

• mesolimbic reward pathway (associated with food and sex)
• subgenual cortex (associated with basic social attachment and bonding in other species)

Question 7

What four conditions for action to be ethical?

Answer 7

• There must be an alternative course of action
• capability of judging the actions in ethical terms
• Freedom of choice to choose what is ethically right
• The capacity to predict the results of our actions

Question 8

What was Aristotle (384-322BC) influence?

Answer 8

• Qualitive and descriptive

Question 9

wHAT WAS fRANCIS bACONS OPINION (1561-1626)?

Answer 9

They had consulted experience and observation, they would have the facts and not opinions to reason about