PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS OF
BIOETHICS • This type of theory claims that there are
ETHICS
• MORAL PHILOSOPHY
• Derived from the Greek word ETHOS,
which means CUSTOM or
CHARACTER
• Philosophical science that deals with
morality of human conduct
• Systematically establishes the
standards or norms of human acts
• Determines human acts as good or bad
and right or wrong
• Provides the principles on the morality of
human acts.
❑ 4 Major areas of Study:
1. Descriptive ethics
• this is the division of philosophical or
general ethics that involves the
observation of the moral decision-
making process with the goal of
describing the phenomenon.
• Describes the nature, essence or
substance of reality.
• reports what people believe, how th
ey reason, and how they act.
2. Normative Philosophy
• concerned with criteria of what is
morally right and wrong.
• It includes the formulation
of moral rules that have
direct implications for what human
actions, institutions, and ways of life
should be like.
• 3 types of normative theories:
‫ ־‬virtue theories, deontological
(moral obligation) theories,
and teleological theories
VIRTUE-BASED THEORY
• Virtue based theories focus on the
character of the person.
• According to virtue based theories,
ethics is about what sort of person one
should strive to become.
• The qualities that one should develop in
oneself are called virtues (ex. honesty,
fairness, kindness, faithfulness,
generosity, prudence, integrity, bravery,
etc.).
• It is a learning process that continues
throughout your life.
DEONTOLOGICAL THEORY
features within the actions themselves
which determine whether or not they are
right.
• These features define the extent to
which the actions conform with
recognized moral duties.
• Deontological theories do not consider
consequences to be important when
determining whether or not an action is
ethical.
• It doesn’t matter if the drunk driver made
it home safely.
• Immanuel Kant's ethical theory is
deontological.
‫ ־‬He claims that actions are only
morally right when they are done out
of duty.
‫ ־‬He sees moral duties as unchanging
laws for human conduct.
‫ ־‬Always act out of duty, in
accordance with a good will
TELEOLOGICAL THEORY
• This describes an ethical theory which
judges the rightness of an action in
terms of an external goal or purpose.
• According to a teleological theory,
consequences always play some part,
be it small or large, in the determination
of what one should or should not do.
• Theory of morality that derives duty or
moral obligation from what is good or
desirable as an end to be achieved.
3. Practical Philosophy
• A division in philosophy which reflects
on truth with due recourse of action.
• The attempt to work out other
implications of general theories for
specific forms of conduct and moral
judgement; formerly called applied
ethics.
4. Critical Philosophy (Epistemology)
• is the study of the nature and scope
of knowledge and justified belief.
• It analyzes the nature of knowledge
and how it relates to similar notions
such as truth, belief and justification.
• asks questions like: "What is
knowledge?", "How is knowledge
acquired?", "What do people know?",
"What are the necessary and
sufficient conditions of knowledge?"
MORALITY
• Derived from the Latin word MOS or
MORIS
• Applied Ethics
• Actualizes/ applies the theories and
principles provided by ethics
Ethical questions reside in the realm of our
values, morals, individual culture, intense
personal beliefs, and faith. To gain a clearer
understanding between morals and ethics we
might consider the distinction offered by the
ethicist Joseph Fletcher, who stated that “
morality was what people believed to be right
and good… while ethics is the critical reflections
about morality and the rational analysis of it”.
Ethics, then, is nothing more than a generic
term for the study of how we make judgements
in regards to right and wrong. (Edge & Grooves,
2019)
Postulates in Ethics
(Presumed to be true)
1) The existence of God.
2) The existence of intellect and free will.
3) The spirituality and immortality of the
human soul.
Moral Assumptions
1) As a rational and free grade of animal,
man knows that there are actions that
are right or wrong, and good or bad.
2) Man knows that there are actions that he
is not obliged to do.
3) Man knows that he is responsible for his
actions.
4) Man knows that those actions are
considered wrong are punishable and
that those actions that are right are
rewardable.
Humans: The Sole Moral Agents
• It is their being rational that makes
humans humans.
• The human person’s perceptual
knowledge helps him/her draw
judgements as he/she compares ideas.
• The human person, therefore, does not
just perceive things but also analyzes,
assesses, criticizes, or intellectualizing
things.
Intellect Compared with Will
• What does intellect do?
‫ ־‬It knows.
‫ ־‬Acts as the thinking faculty of the
human person.
‫ ־‬Enables him/her to search for truth
• What about the will?
‫ ־‬It chooses.
‫ ־‬It implements what it has chosen.
‫ ־‬Enables him/her to choose which is
good.
Concrete Basis of Morality
• Morality becomes vivid when one
encounters a moral experience.
• This moral experience leads him/her to
a moral problem.
• The human person is duty-bound to face
his/her obligation.
• Ex.
‫ ־‬Should a person who has no money,
steal?
‫ ־‬Should a person who has no answer
in an exam, cheat?
BIOLOGY
• Natural science that deals with the issue
of life
• Important in bioethics because it deals
with the multifarious (DIVERSE)
dimensions and domains of all life forms.
BIOETHICS
• This term was introduced by DANIEL
CALLAHAN in 1969, together with
WILLARD GAYLIN when they founded
the HASTINGS CENTER
• Popularized by VAN RENSSELAER
POTTER in 1970
• A discipline that deals with the ethical
implications of biological research.
• The study of ethical issues that emanate
from the changes and developments in
the life science technologies.
• A branch of ethics that deals with the life
sciences and their impact in society.
• A branch of ethics that analyzes moral
values in the context of biomedical
sciences.
• A branch of the ethics of biological
science and medicine.
 • A systematic study of the human
conduct in the areas of the life sciences
and healthcare.
• It belongs to the auspices of medical
ethics and is loosely anchored in the
avenues of life sciences.
• The study of the moral problems in
medicine and biological technology.
PREVAILING ISSUES SURROUNDING THE
AUSPICES OF BIOETHICS:
NIGHTINGALE’S PLEDGE
• was composed in 1893 by Lystra E.
Gretter and a Committee for the Farrand
Training School for Nurses, Detroit. It
was called the Florence Nightingale
Pledge as a token of esteem for the
founder of modern nursing.
• It was first administered to the 1893
graduating class of the Farrand Training
School, Harper Hospital, Detroit,
Michigan. It is as follows:

• Human life
• Health
THE FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
• Research
• Science
PLEDGE
• Technology I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the
• Philosophy, theology, law and medicine presence of this assembly, to pass my life in
purity and to practice my profession faithfully.
I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and
mischievous, and will not take or knowingly
HEALTHCARE ETHICS administer any harmful drug.

• A domain in the practice of the I will do all in my power to maintain and

healthcare profession that sets the elevate the standard of my profession, and will
standards or guidelines relative to hold in confidence all personal matters
studies, inquiries, and decisions on the committed to my keeping and all family affairs
part of healthcare professionals in coming to my knowledge in the practice of my
relation to the delivery of healthcare. calling.
• Deals with ethical issues such as: life-
support system, testing of diseases, With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the
access to healthcare services, brain physician in his work, and devote myself to the
death, clinical death, suicide, welfare of those committed to my care
euthanasia, vices and virtues,
conscience and law.
Like professional etiquette, healthcare ethics
are designed to promote order and maintain
civility. However, there is a major difference,
with ethics, you are dealing with something that
can be considered bad manners; you are
dealing with the rights and welfare of other
people. Individual practitioners who do not
master the skills of professional courtesy and
decorum are considered boorish and rude, and
where possible, others will avoid them. When
practitioners fail to maintain an appropriate
standard legal or ethical conduct, the
consequences can be career ending. ( Edges,
R. & Groves, R., 2019)

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

• The normative moral system that

injuncts a kind of behavior that is
expected of a professional.
• NOT ONLY OF AN INDIVIDUAL BUT
ALSO AS A GROUP.