Bioethics
Chapter 1: Ethics
ETHICS MORALITY
The word Ethics originated from The word Morals originated from
the Greek word ethos. The the Latin word Mos. The meaning
meaning of ethos is a character of Mos is custom
Legal guidelines and professional The acceptability of morality it
rules govern ethics. The transcends the norms laid down
acceptability of ethics is confined by culture
within a particular space and time
frame.
Dependent on the prism of others Morality is seen from the
perspective of an individual.
If the contexts are different, then Change in morality depends on
the ethics could be different. the difference in the beliefs of an
Hence there is some degree of individual.
flexibility in ethics.
followed because society has Morality is followed because a
decided it is the right course of person believes that it is the right
action course of action.
A person who follows the ethical There could be situations where a
principles need not necessarily moral person violates ethics to
have strong moral values, in fact, maintain to uphold his moral
there are even possibilities that he values.
may not have any morals.
Usually associated in the field of It has a religious connotation
law, medicine or business. Ethics
does not have a religious
connotation
ETHICS
FOUR (4) MAJOR AREAS OF STUDY
Descriptive – this is the division of philosophical or general
Ethics 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 they reason,
and how they act
Normative – concerned with criteria of what is morally right
Philosophy 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:
o virtue theories,
o deontological (moral obligation)
theories,
o teleological theories
3 TYPES OF NORMATIVE PHILOSOPHY
Virtue based – focus on the character of the person.
theory – 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.).
Example:
• Aristotle claimed that in order to become an honest person, one
should tell the truth. (Aristotle) Eventually it becomes a habit.
• One learns how to tell the truth appropriately, without being
brutally honest all of the time or lying whenever it is easier to do so.
• It is a learning process that continues throughout your life.
Deontological – claims that there are features within the
Theory actions themselves which determine whether
or not they are right.
– These features define the extent to which the
actions conform with recognized moral duties.
– do not consider consequences to be
important when determining whether or not an
action is ethical.
o It doesn’t matter if the drunk driver
made it home safely.
Example:
• Immanuel Kant's ethical theory is deontological.
o He claims that actions are only morally right when they
are done out of duty.
o He sees moral duties as unchanging laws for human
conduct.
o Always act out of duty, in accordance with a good will
o I.e. One does the right thing because one recognizes
that it is the right thing to do, not because it pleases you
to do it or will promote good consequences.).
Teleological – ethical theory which judges the rightness of an
Theory 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
Continuation for the major areas of study
Practical – division in philosophy which reflects on truth
Philosophy with due recourse of action.
– the attempt to work out the implications of
general theories for specific forms of conduct
and moral judgment; formerly called applied
ethics
Critical – is the study of the nature and scope of
Philosophy 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?"
POSTULATES IN ETHICS (presumed to be true)
(1) existence of God
(2) existence of intellect and free will
(3) spirituality and immortality of the human soul
MORALS
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 human.
• 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?
o It knows.
o Acts as the thinking faculty of the human person.
o Enables him/her to search for truth
• What about the will?
o It chooses.
o It implements what it has chosen.
o 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.
Example:
o Should a person who has no money, steal?
o Should a person who has no answer in an exam, cheat?
SAMANTHA NICHOLLE T. INSONG 1
Bioethics
Chapter 1: Ethics
DEFINITION OF TERMS “I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the
BIOLOGY
presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity
• Natural science that deals with the issue of life
• Important in bioethics because it deals with the multifarious and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain
(DIVERSE) dimensions and domains of all life forms from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and
BIOETHICS will not take or knowingly administer any harmful
History
drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and
• introduced by DANIEL CALLAHAN in 1969, together with
WILLARD GAYLIN when they founded the HASTINGS elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold
CENTER/Institute of Society, Ethics and the Life Sciences— in confidence all personal matters committed to my
located in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson keeping and all family affairs coming to my
• took the lead in setting the direction, methods, and
knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty
intellectual standards of bioethics through its own journal, the
Hastings Center Report (Callahan 1971, 1973) will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and
• popularized by VAN RENSSEALAER POTTER (1970) devote myself to the welfare of those committed to
Definition my care.”
• 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
• Human life
• Health
• Research
• Science
• Technology
• Philosophy, theology, law and medicine
HEALTHCARE ETHICS
• A domain in the practice of the healthcare profession that
sets the standards or guidelines relative to studies, inquiries,
and decisions on the part of healthcare professionals in
relation to the delivery of healthcare.
• Deals with ethical issues such as: life-support system, testing
of diseases, access to healthcare services, brain death,
clinical death, suicide, euthanasia, vices and virtues,
conscience and law
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
• The normative moral system that injuncts a kind of behavior
that is expected of a professional.
o NOT ONLY OF AN INDIVIDUAL BUT ALSO AS A
GROUP.
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:

SAMANTHA NICHOLLE T. INSONG 2