1.4 BIOETHICS AS APPLIED ETHICS Flashcards
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This book demonstrates applied ethics. Etymologically, bioethics (from the Greek word bios, which means “life”) means “ethics of life” (Shannon and Digiacomo 1979: 1-5; Varga 1980: ix-x). It can be considered the ethics of medical care; however, it is not equivalent to medical ethics, which specifically tackles the morally legitimate practice of the medical profession. Strictly speaking, however, bioethics is the branch of applied ethics that investigates practices and developments in the life sciences and/or biomedical fields (Pahl: 2; Beauchamp and Childress 1979: vii-viii). It is, in other words, an applied study of ethical issues and values not only in medicine and biology but also in the behavioral sciences. The primary and major predicaments with which bioethics as an applied ethics deals are those concerning life, health, and death that have resulted
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from modern biological technology (e.g., biomedical engineering and genetic therapy), specifically the manner in which they have affected human values. The “bio” of bioethics leads to examining new findings and data from the physical and natural sciences. In this way, one must take seriously the scientific knowledge derived from the disciplines and evaluate them in light of the ethical theories (Shannon and Digiacomo: 2).
In light of the foregoing, it becomes obvious enough that the bioethical approach is interdisciplinary. As much as possible, all pertinent biological, philosophical, theological, medical, legal, psychological, and sociological knowledge available at hand must be pooled together in an attempt to settle certain moral dilemmas. Divergent ethical perceptions will, likewise, be presented so that the strengths and weaknesses of alternate positions may be evaluated (Pahl: ii).
