Status
Call number
Publication
ISBN
Description
This edition represents a thorough-going revision of what has become a classic text in biomedical ethics. Major structural changes mark the revision. The authors have added a new concluding chapter on methods that, along with its companion chapter on moral theory, emphasizes convergence across theories, coherence in moral justification, and the common morality. They have simplified the opening chapter on moral norms which introduces the framework of prima facie moral principles and ways to specify and balance them. Together with the shift of advanced material on theory to the back of the book, this heavily revised introductory chapter will make it easier for the wide range of students entering bioethics courses to use this text. Another important change is the increased emphasis on character and moral agency, drawing the distinction between agents and actions. The sections on truth telling, disclosure of bad news, privacy, conflicts of interest, and research on human subjects have also been thoroughly reworked. The four core chapters on principles (respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice) and the chapter on professional-patient relationships retain their familiar structure, but the authors have completely updated their content to reflect developments in philosophical analysis as well as in research, medicine, and health care. Throughout, they have used a number of actual cases to illuminate and to test their theory, method, and framework of principles.… (more)
Local notes
Morality and moral justification -- Morality and ethical theory -- Moral dilemmas -- Method, justification and truth -- Specifying and balancing principles -- Place of principles, common morality -- Types of ethical theory -- Criteria for theory construction -- Utilitarianism: consequence-based theory -- Kantianism: obligation-based theory -- Character ethics: virtue-based theory -- Liberal individualism: rights-based theory -- Communitarianism: community-based theory -- Ethics of care: relationship-based accounts -- Casuistry: case-based reasoning -- Principle-based, common-morality theories -- Convergence across theories -- Respect for autonomy -- Concept of autonomy -- Competence and autonomous choice -- Meaning and justification of informed consent -- Disclosure -- Understanding -- Voluntariness -- Framework of standards for surrogate decisionmaking -- Nonmaleficence -- Concept of nonmaleficence -- Traditional distinctions and rules governing nontreatment -- Optional treatments and obligatory treatments -- Killing and letting die -- Justification of assistance in dying.; (cont) Decisionmaking for incompetent patients -- Beneficence -- Concept of beneficence -- Obligatory and ideal beneficence -- Paternalism: conflicts between beneficence and autonomy -- Balancing benefits, costs and risks -- Value and quality of life -- Justice -- Concept of justice -- Theories of justice -- Fair opportunity -- Right to a decent minimum of health care -- Allocation of health care resources -- Rationing through priorities in the health care budget -- Rationing scarce treatments to patients -- Professional-patient relationships -- Veracity -- Privacy -- Confidentiality -- Fidelity -- Dual roles of physician and investigator -- Virtues and ideals in professional life -- Virtues in professional roles -- Four focal virtues -- Conscientiousness -- Moral ideals -- Moral excellence -- Cases in biomedical ethics.