생명의료윤리학과 윤리이론

Abstract

By the mid-1960s, there has been a consensus among English-speaking philosophers as to the role of philosophy: Analytic philosophers and logical positivists widely agreed that philosophy has nothing to say about practical moral issues. However, moral philosophers began to recognize their role in diverse fields; in particular, medicine and health-care. They saw the need for ethical theories in providing directions for moral judgment and conduct, and they started to propose ethical theories for solving practical moral problems. This paper provides an introduction both to the role of theories in biomedical ethics and the way applying them to specific moral issues. I will begin by presenting a brief description of the historical circumstances that gave rise to biomedical ethics as a distinct philosophical movement. With this historical backdrop, I will focus on the role of ethical theories, by introducing Ruth Macklin and R. M. Hare replies to the skeptics. I will then proceed to the applications of ethical theories to specific cases. First, I will clarify the competing ethical theories in the field of medical ethics; for example, utilitarianism (act-utilitarianism, rule-utilitarianism, preference utilitarianism), W. D. Ross theory of prima facie duty, and the principle of double effect. Then, I will introduce landmark euthanasia cases such as the Karen Quinlan case, the Baby Jane Doe case, the Elizabeth Bouvia case and the Dr. Jack Kevorkian case. Finally, I will turn my attention to the way in which these ethical theories can be applied.