Bioethics /
edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr., and Jeffrey Paul.
- xvii, 395 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Bioethics and the Problem of Pluralism / Pragmatism in Bioethics: Been There, Done That / The Ordination of Bioethicists as Secular Moral Experts / Information(al) Matters: Bioethics and the Boundaries of the Public and the Private / Bioethics as Social Philosophy / Social Moral Epistemology / Why Health Is Not Special: Errors in Evolved Bioethics Intuitions / Power, Integrity, and Trust in the Managed Practice of Medicine: Lessons from the History of Medical Ethics / The Distribution of Life-Saving Medical Resources: Equality, Life Expectancy, and Choice behind the Veil / Pharmacogenetic Interventions, Orphan Drugs, and Distributive Justice: The Role of Cost-Benefit Analysis / The Ubiquity and Utility of the Therapeutic Misconception / Indifference of Subjects: An Alternative to Equipoise in Randomized Clinical Trials / The Biophilosophical Basis of Whole-Brain Death / Freedom and Responsibility in Genetic Testing / Genes, Justice, and Obligations to Future People / Donald C. Ainslie -- John D. Arras -- H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. -- Lisa S. Parker -- Kevin WM. Wildes -- Allen Buchanan -- Robin Hanson -- Laurence B. McCullough -- Mark S. Stein -- Arti K. Rai -- Rebecca Dresser -- Robert M. Veatch -- James L. Bernat -- Baruch A. Brody -- F. M. Kamm.
"Technological innovations and social developments have led to dramatic changes in the practice of medicine and in the way that scientists conduct medical research. Change has brought beneficial consequences, yet these gains have come at a cost, for many modern medical practices raise troubling ethical questions: Should life be sustained mechanically when the brain's functions have ceased? Should potential parents be permitted to manipulate the genetic characteristics of their embryos? Should society ration medical care to control costs? Should fetal stem cells be experimented upon in an effort to eventually palliate or cure debilitating diseases? Bioethicists analyze and assess moral dilemmas raised by medical research and innovative treatments; they also counsel healthcare practitioners, patients, and their families. In this anthology, fifteen philosophers, social scientists, and academic lawyers assess various aspects of this field."--Publisher description.