Bioethics

Bioethics is a large part of applied ethics in philosophy. The subject attempts to deal with real and pressing issues in the medical field (for example: euthanasia, animal testing, etc.), and wishes to give real answers. Historically, most ‘bioethics’ was centered around a utilitarian viewpoint, in that as long as the benefit outweighed any harms of the procedure it would be permitted. In recent decades however, especially with the introduction of many bioethics review boards and committees, there has definitely been more emphasis on treating each individual undergoing the procedure/experiment with innate dignity and respect. There are many issues to cover within the field of bioethics, but one of the main ones is how these ‘Bioethics Review Boards’ should actually decide on the given issue. The common route is to foregore theoretical differences and abstract notions of morality, and just deal with the facts without appealing to some higher-order command. However, doing this leaves whatever answer is provided open to doubt. So, the committee or team may opt to actually decide on the issue by arguing for a particular moral theory over another (i.e. utilitarians and Kantians will have very differing viewpoints on whether certain procedures should be undergone or not). Though, the debate over which moral theory prevails has been on-going for thousands of years, and an ethics review board with a set amount of time to reach a decision probably wouldn’t be able to have the authority or responsibility to decide for one. Apart from these questions about the best way to approach bioethics, the large field of applied ethics as a whole is seen as one of the most practical benefits of philosophy - so it will most likely continue to grow and flourish (particularly as ethical controversies are abundant to see every day on the news or TV).