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A Philosophical Approach
John F. Morris, Ph.D.
Rockhurst University
Seminar in Medical Ethics
PL 4700
Medicine & Ethics
A Philosophical Approach
I. All of us come to the study of ethics with a degree of ethical experience.
A. Family
B. School
C. Society
These representour general moral
experience.
Medicine & Ethics
II. The study of Philosophy helps us take our vague and unreflective notions about healthcare and medicine and make them:
A. ExplicitB. ClearC. Consistent
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
A. Explicit
1) Through reflection upon ideas we hold as true, philosophy helps us express our implicit knowledge to others - thereby making it explicit.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
B. Clear
1) Philosophy helps us clarify our implicit knowledge, and brings coherence to the ideas we have accepted as true throughout our life experiences.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
C. Consistent
1) Finally, philosophy helps us integrate our knowledge derived from everyday life, revealing any contradictions in our thoughts, and creating a unified vision of reality.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
III. And so, a philosophical approach helps give us articulate, defensible reasons for why certain actions ought, or ought not, to be done.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
IV. Ethics = is the study of how to live life well.
A. This involves the study of actions (not persons) to determine if an action is:
1) permissible;2) impermissible; or3) obligatory.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
obligatory = must always be done, regardless of the circumstances
impermissible = must never be done, under any circumstance
permissible = can either be done or, not done – it is good either way
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
B. As for persons, we will strive not to judge their character - only their responsibility for the actions they perform.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
V. We must keep in mind that ethical questions are controversial for various reasons:
A. Ethical questions are complex.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
B. Ethics deals with profound and mysterious issues of LIFE, which are always open to further study.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
C. There is always difficulty in applying general rules to concrete cases.
1) But this does not make ethics relativistic!
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
D. Ethics involves not only facts, but also personal and cultural values.
1) Facts are objective.
2) Values, on the other hand, are subjective.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
E. Ethical decisions are not abstract - they affect our personal lives directly.
1) That is why it is often difficult to be objective in ethics.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
VI. Our GOAL is to develop:
A. An orderly way of thinking about ethics.
B. A common moral vocabulary.
C. A coherent moral framework that leads to CONSENSUS.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
1) But what does CONSENSUS entail?
a) First, let’s clarify what consensus is NOT:
consensus is not 100% unanimity;
consensus is not the same as compromise.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics
1) But what does CONSENSUS entail?
b) And so, for our purposes, consensus is achieved when:
all parties can live with the decision;
and, the decision respects everyone’s conscience & integrity.
A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics