Universalism and Particularism in Bioethics: Lessons from Theological Ethics

Abstract

In response to Paul Rabinow’s essay, “Prosperity, Amelioration, Flourishing: From a Logic of Practical Judgment to Reconstruction,” this essay argues that bioethical debate on a range of issues is beset by apparent incommensurability. The origin of bioethics in religious ethics offers a provocative historical and normative basis from which to better understand the character of bioethical argument. The essay then surveys three contemporary figures in religious ethics (Stanley Hauerwas, Richard McCormick, and James Gustafson) who provide a typology of approaches in bioethics ranging from particularism to non-particularism.