Transcript Practical Ethics Concepts Power Point

Practical Ethics
Introduction to practical ethical issues
and philosophical concepts.
What is Practical Ethics?
• An area of moral philosophy looking at
specific problems such as euthanasia,
war, medical research and so on.
The specification
• Candidates should be able to describe and explain the
ethical issues that arise in the specified areas of
medical ethics. Some basic knowledge of the law and of
medical procedures will be necessary for an adequate
understanding of these issues, but the emphasis of the
questions will be on religious and ethical issues. They
should understand the concepts of sanctity of life,
personhood, rights and consent, in relation to these
issues.
• Candidates should be able to apply the ethical theories
and religious ethics they have studied in this unit and in
the Foundation unit to issues arising in the areas of
medical ethics specified. They should be able to show
how application of these theories might lead to different
conclusions. They should be able to consider these
different approaches in relation to medical ethics.
The exam - example questions
a) Explain how a relative morality might be
applied to euthanasia
b) ‘One set of moral principles should apply to all
societies’. Discuss
a) Explain how Natural Law could be applied to
embryo research
b) ‘A Natural Law approach to embryo research
does society more harm than good’. Discuss
a) Explain what is meant by the sanctity of life
b) ‘All life is sacred and should preserved in all
circumstances’. Discuss
Concepts / issues - Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
• Human beings are born free and equal with the
right to life, liberty, freedom of thought and belief
(United Nations 1948)
• A right is the freedom to do something without
being restrained.
• They impose a duty on someone else to honour
the right.
• Do people’s rights differ? On what grounds?
• Do rights extend to the foetus? How do we
decide who or what has rights?
Freedom / Liberty
• How far can we interfere with the
freedom of another?
• John Stuart Mill argued that we only
have the right to interfere if a persons
action directly or indirectly harms
another person. (On Liberty 1859)
Personhood / Persons
• John Locke ‘a thinking intelligent being,
that has reason and reflection, and can
consider itself as itself, the same thinking
thing in different times and places.’ (1984)
• Philosophers generally agree that the
notion of a person is characterised by
rationality and self-consciousness.
Purpose & Potentiality
• Are all things designed for a purpose
and if so is it wrong to interfere with that
purpose?
• Should we consider the potential
something has even if it has not
reached it yet?
Sanctity of Life
• All life is sacred and should be preserved.
• Often used as a religious argument - all life
was created by God and belongs to him.
Quality of Life
• Standard of living (health and happiness).
• How do we judge the quality of someone’s life?
• When is someone’s quality of life too poor to
continuing living?
• Can we improve the quality for one by using
another?
Sentience / Consciousness
• The ability to perceive.
• The ability to experience pleasure and
pain.
• A type of consciousness we all share.
Awareness of things around you.
• Acquired by the foetus between 20 – 24
weeks (note abortion is legal in the UK up
until 24 weeks)
Slippery Slope problem
• Permitting one act opens the ‘flood
gates’ for other and more serious acts to
be permitted.
Other concepts
• Dignity
• Consent
• Compassion
Applying the principles of
normative theories
• SITUATION ETHICS
Doing the most ‘loving’ thing.
• NATURAL LAW
Purpose, rules, scripture, reason.
• VIRTUE ETHICS
Identifying and practicing virtues, Golden
Mean
Keeping in mind the strengths & weaknesses
of each theory and how practical they are.