Ethics and the Acquisition of Organs, by T. M. Wilkinson

Abstract

What do we want in a book on applied ethics? We need philosophical debate that actually helps to resolve, or at least untangle, substantive disagreements about ethics and practical policy. To do this, the work must be not just philosophically literate and well-argued, but also empirically and practically grounded in the relevant facts, laws, policies, and practice, and display an awareness of how the philosophical arguments interact with these issues. The work must speak to all those involved in the debate, not just to philosophers. Too often work in applied ethics fails in these regards. But Wilkinson’s book is a good example of work in applied ethics which takes seriously the need to apply philosophical thinking to closely observed context, being well-informed of relevant scientific and medical facts, laws, policies, and just as importantly, giving extremely useful details on how practice often diverges from official policy. There should be more philosophical work like this.