Bioethics: An Introduction
Cambridge University Press, 5/17/2012
EAN 9780521714594, ISBN10: 0521714591
Paperback, 478 pages, 24.6 x 18.9 x 2.7 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Providing readers with the confidence needed to debate key issues in bioethics, this introductory text clearly explains bioethical theories and their philosophical foundations. Over 250 activities introduce topics for personal reflection, and discussion points encourage students to think for themselves and build their own arguments. Highlighting the potential pitfalls for those new to bioethics, each chapter features boxes providing factual information and outlining the philosophical background, along with detailed case studies that offer an insight into real-life examples of bioethical problems. Within-chapter essay questions and quizzes, along with end-of-chapter review questions, allow students to check their understanding and to broaden their thinking about the topics discussed. The accompanying podcasts by the author (two of whose podcasts on iTunesUâ„¢ have attracted over 3 million downloads) explain points that might be difficult for beginners. These, along with a range of extra resources for students and instructors, are available at www.cambridge.org/bioethics.
Preface
Using this book
Notes for instructors
Part I. Bioethics and Ethics
1. Biotechnology and bioethics
what it's all about
2. Ethics in general
ethics, action and freedom
3. Ethics in the context of society
ethics, society and the law
4. Ethical theories
virtue, duty and happiness
5. Identifying and evaluating arguments
logic and morality
6. General arguments
unnatural, disgusting, risky, only opinion
Part II. The Beginning and End of Life
Section 1. Cloning
7. Therapeutic cloning
the moral status of embryos
8. Reproductive cloning
science and science fiction
Section 2. Reproduction
9. Reproductive freedom
rights, responsibilities and choice
10. The resources of reproduction
eggs, sperm and wombs for sale
11. Screening and embryo selection
eliminating disorders or people?
Section 3. Ageing and Death
12. Ageing and immortality
the search for longevity
13. Death and killing
the quality and value of life
Part III. In the Midst of Life
Section 1. Our Duties to Ourselves
14. Human enhancement
the more the better?
15. Bio-information
databases, privacy and the fight against crime
16. Security and defence
security sensitivity, publication and warfare
Section 2. Our Duties to Each Other
17. Food and energy security
GM food, biofuel and the media
18. Bio-ownership
who owns the stuff of life?
19. Human justice
the developed and developing worlds
Section 3. Our Duties to Nature
20. Non-human animals
consciousness, rationality and animal rights
21. The living and non-living environment
spaceship Earth
Index.
'This book is an excellent, unique and comprehensive resource for either an undergraduate or a graduate course. With its wonderful introduction into ethical theory and a multifaceted approach, it is an incomparable resource for the successful teaching of bioethics. The author's eloquent writing … carefully examines practically every aspect of [this] exciting interdisciplinary [field] … a valuable reading of interest for both students and scholar[s], alike.' Mirjana Brockett, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
'I do not know of a better introduction and I suspect that it may become the standard text for years to come. It aims to give a sound introduction to people who have had little or no experience of ethics or philosophy, and it does so in a lively, rich and very readable way. Most important of all, it tries to engender a genuinely philosophical approach: fair-minded, rational and critical … a freshness and clarity that will stimulate thinking and discussion even amongst the most jaded students … I feel confident that nurses with the skills of reasoning and the fairness of mind that Bioethics: An Introduction is designed to provide will bring credit to themselves, to their patients and to the health services within which they work.' Nursing Philosophy
'… admirably accessible and organised … this book not only makes learning about profound topics easier and more interesting, but it provides lessons for instructors to become more effective teachers.' The Quarterly Review of Biology