Welcome to Philosophy 163: Biomedical Ethics
In this course, we will explore several hotly debated issues in biomedical ethics. We will begin with a set of questions much in the news recently, including these: Should we allow patients to die, and, if so, under what conditions? Is death ever a good for a person, and, if so, when? What makes life worth living? We will then turn from end-of-life issues to beginning-of-life issues by engaging in the debate concerning the moral status of a human fetus. From this starting point, we will explore the issues of abortion, stem cell research, cloning, and the value of human life. In the process, we will learn about and evaluate fundamental moral theories and principles that can be used to address each of these challenging issues. In the final unit of the course, we will employ these principles and theories in an exploration of specific questions concerning genetic screening, performance enhancement, and perfection. Throughout the course, our immediate aims will be to gain an understanding of a variety of positions on each of these ethical issues and to come to reasoned and well-informed views on these pressing issues. There is a larger aim, as well: to hone your reasoning skills and knowledge of fundamental moral positions so that you will be in a good position to adjudicate all sorts of other debates within, and even beyond, bioethics.
Links for Unit I: End of Life
Links for the Beginning of Life
