Moral Theory and Moral Judgments in Medical Ethics

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vi

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2. Introduction — Moral Theory and Moral Judgments in Biomedical Ethics

   1. Introduction — Moral Theory and Moral Judgments in Biomedical Ethics

      • Baruch A. Brody

      Pages 1-12

3. Deriving Utilitarian Consequences

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 13-13

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   2. Utilitarian Goals and Kantian Constraints (or: Always True to You, Darling in my Fashion)

      • L. W. Sumner

      Pages 15-31

   3. Utilitarians Among the Optimists

      • William Ruddick

      Pages 33-39

   4. Utilitarianism and the Informed Consent Requirement (or: Should Utilitarians be Allowed on Medical Research Ethical Review Boards?)

      • Jeffrey Reiman

      Pages 41-51

   5. Reply to Ruddick and Reiman

      • L. W. Sumner

      Pages 53-54

4. Natural Right Casuistry

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 55-55

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   2. Moral Rights and Causal Casuistry

      • Eric Mack

      Pages 57-74

   3. Death by Omission

      • Bart K. Gruzalski

      Pages 75-85

   4. Coffee and Casuistry: It Doesn’t Matter Who Caused What

      • Michael P. Levine

      Pages 87-98

5. Marx’s Theory: Deriving Moral Implications

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 99-99

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   2. Marxism and Moral Judgment

      • Allen Buchanan

      Pages 101-118

   3. Marx, Moral Judgment, and Medical Ethics: Commentary on Buchanan

      • Mary B. Mahowald

      Pages 119-131

6. Christian Casuistry

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 133-133

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   2. Reconciling the Practice of Reason: Casuistry in a Christian Context

      • Stanley Hauerwas

      Pages 135-155

   3. Christianity in a Social Context: Practical Reasoning and Forgiveness

      • Laurence Thomas

      Pages 157-168

7. From Theory to Praxis

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 169-169

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   2. The Relation of Moral Theory to Moral Judgments: A Kantian Review

      • Alan Donagan

      Pages 171-192

   3. Justification in Ethics

      • Carson Strong

      Pages 193-211

principles. A second solution to this problem is to develop a scale for weighing the significance of the conflicting principles in a given case and for concluding which action should be adopted because it is supported by the weightier considerations in that case. Such a solution seems more realistic than the lexical ordering approach, but the development of such a scale is a problematic task. Still other, more complex solutions are possible. Which is the best solution to this problem of conflicting principles of bioethics? We need a moral theory to answer that question. This is the first reason for concluding that the principles of bioethics are not the true foundations of justified judgment in bioethics. What is the problem of the unclear scope and implications of the principles of bioethics and how can an appeal to moral theory help deal with that problem? The scope of a bioethical principle is the range of cases in which it applies. The implications of a bioethical principle are the conclusions to be derived from that principle in those cases in which it applies. It is clear from a review of the discussions in bioethics that there are major unclarities about the scope and implications of each of the principles. Consider, for example, the principle of autonomy.

• Biomedical ethics
• Medical Ethics
• Utilitarianism
• ethics
• moral judgments
• morality

• Center for Ethics, Medicine, and Public Issues, Houston, USA

  Baruch A. Brody

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