Bioethics in Secular, Pluralistic Society

Abstract

The existence of a plurality of ethical perspectives based on the presence of diverse religions and worldviews in contemporary society can make it hard to reach consensus on ethical issues in healthcare. Not only do religion and worldview influence attitudes, practices, and policies in healthcare. Racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious stereotypes and biases based on the assumption that people of a different social group are hard or even impossible to comprehend may obstruct dialogue and lead to inequalities and disparities in healthcare. In this context, moral relativism, which claims that, all moral viewpoints being equal, they can only be assessed from their own particular perspective, does not offer solutions and only reconfirms the impossibility of moral dialogue. The idea of common morality offers a way out of this deadlock by providing a common language on the basis of which normative ethical discussion in healthcare becomes possible. Differences may remain at the level of particular moralities. The common morality creates an atmosphere in which empathetic understanding of other ethical perspectives is enabled. In the case of ethical conflict, this offers an opportunity to search for creative solutions that are acceptable to all parties involved.