A Philosophical Approach

1. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach John F. Morris, Ph.D. Rockhurst University Seminar in Medical Ethics PL 4700

2. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach I. All of us come to the study of ethics with a degree of ethical experience. A. Family These represent our general moral experience. B. School C. Society

3. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach II. The study of Philosophy helps us take our vague and unreflective notions about healthcare and medicine and make them: A. Explicit B. Clear C. Consistent

4. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach A. Explicit 1) Through reflection upon ideas we hold as true, philosophy helps us express our implicit knowledge to others - thereby making it explicit.

5. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 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.

6. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 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.

7. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach III. And so, a philosophical approach helps give us articulate, defensible reasons for why certain actions ought, or ought not, to be done.

8. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 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; or 3) obligatory.

9. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach • 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

10. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach B. As for persons, we will strive not to judge their character - only their responsibility for the actions they perform.

11. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach • We must keep in mind that ethical • questions are controversial for various • reasons: A. Ethical questions are complex.

12. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach B. Ethicsdeals with profound and mysterious issues of LIFE, which are always open to further study.

13. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach C. There is always difficulty in applying general rules to concrete cases. 1) But this does not make ethics relativistic!

14. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach D. Ethics involves not only facts, but also personal and culturalvalues. 1) Facts are objective. 2) Values, on the other hand, are subjective.

15. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 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.

16. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 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 toCONSENSUS.

17. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 1) But what does CONSENSUS entail? • First, let’s clarify what consensus • is NOT: • consensus is not 100% unanimity; • consensus is not the same as compromise.

18. Medicine & Ethics A Philosophical Approach 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.