A Philosophical Approach John F. Morris, Ph.D. Rockhurst University Seminar in Medical Ethics PL...

A Philosophical Approach

John F. Morris, Ph.D.

Rockhurst University

Seminar in Medical Ethics

PL 4700

Medicine & Ethics

A Philosophical Approach

I. All of us come to the study of ethics with a degree of ethical experience.

A. Family

B. School

C. Society

These representour general moral

experience.

Medicine & Ethics

II. The study of Philosophy helps us take our vague and unreflective notions about healthcare and medicine and make them:

A. ExplicitB. ClearC. Consistent

A Philosophical ApproachMedicine & Ethics

A. Explicit

1) Through reflection upon ideas we hold as true, philosophy helps us express our implicit knowledge to others - thereby making it explicit.


B. Clear

1) Philosophy helps us clarify our implicit knowledge, and brings coherence to the ideas we have accepted as true throughout our life experiences.


C. Consistent

1) Finally, philosophy helps us integrate our knowledge derived from everyday life, revealing any contradictions in our thoughts, and creating a unified vision of reality.


III. And so, a philosophical approach helps give us articulate, defensible reasons for why certain actions ought, or ought not, to be done.


IV. Ethics = is the study of how to live life well.

A. This involves the study of actions (not persons) to determine if an action is:

1) permissible;2) impermissible; or3) obligatory.


obligatory = must always be done, regardless of the circumstances

impermissible = must never be done, under any circumstance

permissible = can either be done or, not done – it is good either way


B. As for persons, we will strive not to judge their character - only their responsibility for the actions they perform.


V. We must keep in mind that ethical questions are controversial for various reasons:

A. Ethical questions are complex.


B. Ethics deals with profound and mysterious issues of LIFE, which are always open to further study.


C. There is always difficulty in applying general rules to concrete cases.

1) But this does not make ethics relativistic!


D. Ethics involves not only facts, but also personal and cultural values.

1) Facts are objective.

2) Values, on the other hand, are subjective.


E. Ethical decisions are not abstract - they affect our personal lives directly.

1) That is why it is often difficult to be objective in ethics.


VI. Our GOAL is to develop:

A. An orderly way of thinking about ethics.

B. A common moral vocabulary.

C. A coherent moral framework that leads to CONSENSUS.


1) But what does CONSENSUS entail?

a) First, let’s clarify what consensus is NOT:

consensus is not 100% unanimity;

consensus is not the same as compromise.


1) But what does CONSENSUS entail?

b) And so, for our purposes, consensus is achieved when:

all parties can live with the decision;

and, the decision respects everyone’s conscience & integrity.


A Philosophical Approach John F. Morris, Ph.D. Rockhurst University Seminar in Medical Ethics PL...

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