A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

Specific Features of Medical Ethics

Medical ethics differs from other branches of applied ethics in some respects. A number of ethical frameworks have been developed that try to mediate between abstract ethical theory and healthcare practice by providing a simple and structured method for analyzing and evaluating moral issues. The most prominent of these frameworks is the four-principles approach developed by Tom Beauchamp and James Childress (Beauchamp and Childress 2001). According to Beauchamp and Childress, four principles are central to medical ethics:

 

Respect for autonomy

Non-maleficence

Beneficence

Justice

 

These principles are mid-level in the sense that they are at a level between ethical theory and concrete moral decisions. They are both justified from above – any plausible ethical theory will support some version of each of the four principles – and from below – critical reflection on our day-to-day decision-making will show that it adheres to these principles. Although there is disagreement at the level of ethical theory, and at the level of unreflective day-to-day decision-making, these four mid-level principles can therefore form a relatively stable ground for resolving ethical conflict. When healthcare professionals encounter a moral problem they should therefore identify all the relevant actors, analyze how the problem engages each of the four principles and reach a decision based on balancing the four principles against each other in the concrete situation. ...