The advances in molecular biology and genetics, medicine and neurosciences, in ethology and environmental studies have put the concept of the person firmly on the philosophical agenda. Whereas earlier times seemed to have a clear understanding about the moral implications of personhood and its boundaries, today there is little consensus on such matters. Whether a patient in the last stages of Alzheimer's disease is still a person, or whether a human embryo is already a person are highly contentious issues. This book tackles the issue of personhood and its moral implications head-on. The thirteen essays are representative of the major strands in the current bioethical debate and offer new insights into humanity's moral standing, its foundations, and its implications for social interaction. While most of the essays approach the issue by drawing on the rich intellectual tradition of the West, others offer a cross-cultural perspective and make available for ethical consideration the philosophical resources and the wisdom of the East. The contributors to this book are highly recognized philosophers, ethicists, theologians, and professionals in health care and medicine from East Asia (China, Japan), Europe, and North America. The first part of the book probes the foundations of personhood. Examining critically the main theories on personhood in contemporary philosophy, the authors offer alternatives that better respond to contemporary challenges and their implications for bioethics. The focus of the second part is firmly on the Confucian relational concept of the person and on the social constitution of personhood in traditional Japanese culture. While the essays challenge the individualistic features of personhood in the Western tradition, they lay the foundations for a richer concept that holds great promise for the resolution of moral dilemmas in modern medicine and health care. The third part of the book enters into a dialogue with the Christian tradition and draws on its spiritual heritage in the search for answers to the contemporary challenges to human dignity and value. Its focus is on the Catholic social thought and Lutheran theology. The fourth part addresses the moral status of persons in view of specific issues such as the effects of brain injury, gene therapy, and human cloning on personhood. It extends the scope of research beyond human beings and inquires also into the moral status of animals.

This new series of books brings thoughtful, biblically informed perspectives to contemporary issues in bioethics. Whether exploring abortion, assisted suicide, genetic engineering, or other controversial issues in bioethics, these volumes provide principled discussion of the ethical implications of today's medical and scientific breakthroughs. Extremely useful to students, scholars, and general readers alike, these volumes are ideal for classroom use -- in nontheological as well as theological settings.

This excellent text offers a broad-based introduction to the field of bioethics. Scott Rae and Paul Cox provide an assessment of various secular approaches to bioethics that are particularly influential today, and develop a framework for a Christian approach meant to assist people in addressing the many pressing issues in the field.

Though touching on the numerous debated issues in bioethics, the authors are primarily concerned here to give an account of the central theological notions crucial to an informed Christian perspective on bioethics. Their work makes a stimulating and substantial contribution to a Christian bioethic that can effectively engage the pluralistic culture in which health care is practiced today.

"This is a valuable clarification, re-statement and defence of principlism as an approach to applied ethics. It is strongly recommended to many teachers of bioethics..." Journal of the American Medical Association

"Childress book deserves careful study by all concerned with the ethical aspect of contemporary biomedical challenges." Science Books & Films

"An ideal supplement for a graduate seminar on bioethics or for upper-division undergraduates needing more information in this area." Choice

In these revised and updated essays, renowned ethicist James F. Childress highlights the role of imagination in practical reasoning through various metaphors and analogies. His discussion of ethical problems contributes to a better understanding of the scope and strength of different moral principles, such as justice, beneficence, and respect for autonomy. At the same time, Childress demonstrates the major role of metaphorical, analogical, and symbolic reasoning in biomedical ethics, largely in conjunction with, rather than in opposition to, principled reasoning."

How should we attempt to resolve concrete bioethical problems? How are we to understand the role of bioethics in the health care system, government, and academe? This collection of original essays raises these and other questions about the nature of bioethics as a discipline. The contributors to the volume discuss various approaches to bioethical thinking and the political and institutional contexts of bioethics, addressing underlying concerns about the purposes of its practice. Included are extended analyses of such important issues as the conduct of clinical trials, euthanasia, justice in health care, the care of children, cosmetic surgery, and reproductive technologies.

Who or what determines the right to die? Do advancing reproductive technologies change reproductive rights? What forces influence cultural standards of beauty? How do discipline, punishment, and torture reflect our attitudes about the human body?
In this challenging new book, Jean Bethke Elshtain, a nationally recognized scholar in political science and philosophy, and J. Timothy Cloyd, a strong new voice in social and political science, have assembled a collection of thought-provoking essays on these issues written by some of the finest minds of our day.

In der zeitgenoessischen Reproduktionsethik werden intensiv moralische Probleme von Fortpflanzungstechniken wie Leihmutterschaft oder Gametenspende diskutiert. Erstaunlicherweise wird aber die fundamentale reproduktionsethische Frage, ob wir uns fortpflanzen sollten, kaum thematisiert. Auch Ethiken der Elternschaft eroertern zwar normative Probleme des Eltern-Kind-Verhaltnisses und fragen nach der Grundlage parentaler Pflichten, aussern sich aber meist nicht zu der Frage, ob wir Eltern werden sollten. Der Anti-Natalismus, als dessen wichtigster zeitgenoessischer Vertreter David Benatar gilt, widmet sich dieser zentralen Frage. Anti-Natalisten pladieren dafur, die Frage, ob wir uns fortpflanzen sollten, mit "Nein" zu beantworten. In der vorliegenden Abhandlung wird nach der Tragfahigkeit anti-natalistischer Argumente gefragt; es wird zwischen verschiedenen Formen des Anti-Natalismus differenziert und dargelegt, in welcher Form sich ein Anti-Natalismus verteidigen lasst. Es wird deutlich, dass sich zwar keine Pflicht, sich nicht fortzupflanzen, begrunden lasst, der Anti-Natalismus sich aber in einer bestimmten Form als kritikresistent erweist und zeigen kann, dass und warum es auch unter gunstigen Umstanden moralisch problematisch ist, Kinder in die Welt zu setzen.

What caused physicians in the USA to confront committees, forms, and active patients? Tracing the revolution that transformed the doctor-patient relationship, this book takes the reader into the labouratory and the examining room, tracing the development of new technologies and social attitudes.

Find clarity on everyday green-living dilemmas to maximise your sustainability Are paper bags always more environmentally friendly than plastic? How much better for the planet are electric cars? What saves more water - using the dishwasher or washing up by hand? We all want to do the right thing for the planet, but with so many factors at play it can be difficult to work out which is the greenest way. With answers to the everyday green-living questions, Is it really green? cuts through the confusion and gives you the facts. Inside the pages of this book about eco-friendly living, you'll discover: - Answers to more than 140 everyday green-living questions - Advice on making all aspects of your home green like your kitchen, bathroom and wardrobe - How to shop sustainably - The big issues surrounding the climate crisis and what you can do about it - Practical advice on living green everyday including transport and travel as well as managing family and relationships Get to the heart of each eco-conundrum, interrogate your instincts, and make informed decisions to reduce your ecological footprint. Combat Everyday Eco-Dilemmas This book sheds light on the consequences of our everyday decisions and helps you feel empowered to do what you can to make a positive impact on the future of our planet. Whether it's choosing a vegan lifestyle, taking steps towards zero-waste living, or cutting down on travel, every small adjustment to the way we live counts. The book itself has also been made as sustainably as possible, using recycled paper and locally based printers to reduce air miles. It is the perfect gift for the environmentally conscious.

The relation between the pursuit of knowledge and the conduct of life-between science and ethics, each broadly conceived-has in recent years been greatly complicated by developments in the science of life. This book examines the ethical questions involved in prenatal screening, in vitro fertilization, artificial life forms, and medical care, and discusses the role of human beings in nature.

Zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts verandert sich durch Entdeckungen und Entwicklungen in Feldern wie den Neurotechnologien und der Hirnforschung, der Gentechnik und synthetischen Biologie, der Prothetik und den Nanotechnologien auch unser Verstandnis der Natur und des Menschseins. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es das Ziel des Sammelbands, Perspektiven aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum mit ausgewahlten europaischen Positionen in einem interdisziplinaren Austausch zusammenzufuhren. Zugleich soll, was bisher eher selten der Fall war, ein Bruckenschlag zwischen empirischer Forschung zu Koerpermodifikationspraktiken und theoretischer Reflektion geleistet werden.

Die Allgemeine Erklarung der Menschenrechte und das Grundgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland haben die Menschenwurde als Hoechstwert und oberstes Prinzip verankert. Biopolitischen Eingriffen durch den Staat sollte damit eine absolute Grenze gesetzt werden. Die Unbestimmtheit der Menschenwurde hat jedoch in den bioethischen Debatten der letzten Jahrzehnte dazu gefuhrt, dass die Vorrangstellung der Menschenwurde in Frage gestellt wurde oder sich Vertreter entgegengesetzter Positionen beide gleichermassen auf die Wurde des Menschen berufen konnten. So stehen Eugenik und Euthanasie - in liberalem Gewande - als legitime Optionen wieder auf der Tagesordnung. Dies ist einerseits eine Problemanzeige und andererseits der Hinweis darauf, das unterschiedliche Lager unter Wurde unterschiedliches verstehen. Der vorliegende Band diskutiert vorranging das Verhaltnis von Menschenwurde und Autonomie als den zentralen Argumentationsgrundlagen dieser Debatte. Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwieweit es gerechtfertigt ist, den Wurdebegriff durch den Autonomiebegriff zu ersetzen, bzw. ob der Wurdebegriff Aspekte des Autonomiebegriffs integrieren oder ausschliessen muss, um dem Grundanliegen der Allgemeinen Erklarung der Menschenrechte und des Grundgesetzes der Bundesrepublik Deutschland gerecht zu werden, ohne Abstriche am Grundsatz der Unverfugbarkeit zu riskieren.

Talk of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) has moved from the hushed corridors of life science corporations to the front pages of the world's major newspapers. As Europeans began rejecting genetically engineered foods in the marketplace, the StarLink corn incident exploded in the United States and farmers set fire to genetically modified crops in India. Citizens and consumers have become increasingly aware of and troubled by the issues surrounding these new technologies. Considering cases from agriculture, food, forestry, and pharmaceuticals, this book examines some of the most pressing questions raised by genetic engineering. What determines whether GEOs enter the food supply, and how are such decisions being made? How is the biotechnology industry using its power to reshape food, fiber, and pharmaceutical production, and how are citizen-activists challenging these initiatives? And what are the social and political consequences of global differences over GEOs?

Case studies, personal accounts, and analysis show how to recognize and combat pseudoscience in a post-truth world. In a post-truth, fake news world, we are particularly susceptible to the claims of pseudoscience. When emotions and opinions are more widely disseminated than scientific findings, and self-proclaimed experts get their expertise from Google, how can the average person distinguish real science from fake? This book examines pseudoscience from a variety of perspectives, through case studies, analysis, and personal accounts that show how to recognize pseudoscience, why it is so widely accepted, and how to advocate for real science. Contributors examine the basics of pseudoscience, including issues of cognitive bias; the costs of pseudoscience, with accounts of naturopathy and logical fallacies in the anti-vaccination movement; perceptions of scientific soundness; the mainstream presence of "integrative medicine," hypnosis, and parapsychology; and the use of case studies and new media in science advocacy. Contributors David Ball, Paul Joseph Barnett, Jeffrey Beall, Mark Benisz, Fernando Blanco, Ron Dumont, Stacy Ellenberg, Kevin M. Folta, Christopher French, Ashwin Gautam, Dennis M. Gorman, David H. Gorski, David K. Hecht, Britt Marie Hermes, Clyde F. Herreid, Jonathan Howard, Seth C. Kalichman, Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Arnold Kozak, Scott O. Lilienfeld, Emilio Lobato, Steven Lynn, Adam Marcus, Helena Matute, Ivan Oransky, Chad Orzel, Dorit Reiss, Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Kavin Senapathy, Dean Keith Simonton, Indre Viskontas, John O. Willis, Corrine Zimmerman

Das Buch bietet in 24 Kapiteln einen systematischen Einblick in methodische und thematische Fragen der Medizin- und Bioethik in Deutschland von 1995 bis 2016. Dieser beginnt mit metaethischen Aspekten der Relation zwischen Ethik und Moral sowie mit der keineswegs unproblematischen Facherkombination von Medizinethik und Medizingeschichte an den deutschen Universitaten. Sodann werden zentrale bioethische und biopolitische Diskursfelder wie Stammzellforschung, Praimplantationsdiagnostik, pradiktive Medizin sowie Sterbehilfe und Transplantationsmedizin eroertert, die ausnahmslos brisante normative Probleme am Beginn und am Ende des menschlichen Lebens betreffen. Anders als im derzeitigen bioethischen "Mainstream" liegt in diesem Buch der Akzent auf der Betonung des Vorrangs der unantastbaren Wurde des Menschen vor dessen niemals absolut zu denkender Autonomie.

Profoundly important ethical and political controversies turn on the question of whether biological life is an essential aspect of a human person, or only an extrinsic instrument. Lee and George argue that human beings are physical, animal organisms - albeit essentially rational and free - and examine the implications of this understanding of human beings for some of the most controversial issues in contemporary ethics and politics. The authors argue that human beings are animal organisms and that their personal identity across time consists in the persistence of the animal organisms they are; they also argue that human beings are essentially rational and free and that there is a radical difference between human beings and other animals; criticize hedonism and hedonistic drug-taking; present detailed defenses of the prolife positions on abortion and euthanasia; and defend the traditional moral position on marriage and sexual acts.

When data from all aspects of our lives can be relevant to our health - from our habits at the grocery store and our Google searches to our FitBit data and our medical records - can we really differentiate between big data and health big data? Will health big data be used for good, such as to improve drug safety, or ill, as in insurance discrimination? Will it disrupt health care (and the health care system) as we know it? Will it be possible to protect our health privacy? What barriers will there be to collecting and utilizing health big data? What role should law play, and what ethical concerns may arise? This timely, groundbreaking volume explores these questions and more from a variety of perspectives, examining how law promotes or discourages the use of big data in the health care sphere, and also what we can learn from other sectors.

From reason to practice in bioethics brings together original contributions from some of the world's leading scholars in the field of bioethics. With a particular focus on, and critical engagement with, the influential work of Professor John Harris, the book provides a detailed exploration of some of the most interesting and challenging philosophical and practical questions raised in bioethics. The book's broad range of chapters will make it a useful resource for students, scholars, and practitioners interested in the field of bioethics, and the relationship between philosophical and practical ethics. The range of contributors and topics afford the book a wide international interest. -- .

Bioethics is the philosophical study of the ethical controversies brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, philosophy, and theology. This book presents research in the expansive field of bioethics including biomedical ethics in obstetrics, ethical decision making in the health care system, the feasibility of using human oocytes for stem cell research, as well as mandatory circumcision in Sub-Saharan Africa to prevent HIV and AIDS and environmental ethics to preserve the world for future generations.

In diesem Band werden sowohl die medizinischen Chancen und Risiken der modernen Reproduktionsmedizin erlautert, als auch ihre gesellschaftspolitischen und ethischen Dimensionen in den Blick genommen. Expertenstatements aus den an der Debatte beteiligten Disziplinen eroeffnen einen mehrperspektivischen Einblick in die Thematik.

An essential book for all those who conduct animal-based research or are involved in education and training, as well as regulators, supporters, and opponents alike. This fully updated third edition includes discussion of genetically altered animals and associated welfare and ethical issues that surround the breeding programmes in animal based research. The book discusses the origins of vivisection, the advances in human and non-human welfare made possible by animal experimentation, moral objections, and alternatives to the use of animals in research. It also examines the regulatory umbrella under which experiments are conducted in Europe, USA and Australasia. The author highlights the future responsibilities of researchers who will be working with animals, and offers practical advice on experimental design, literature search, consultation with colleagues, and the importance of the ongoing search for alternatives.

This book presents theoretical and applied issues including ethical theory, moral, social, political, and legal philosophy. Issues include: biology and medicine, business, education, environment, government, mass media, science, agriculture and food production, and religion.

In the current era, evidence-based medicine and various supporting technologies dominate everyday clinical practice, according to a disease-centred, as opposed to patient-centred, approach. They have obviously improved the clinical management of diseases and it is therefore unreasonable to think of a medicine in which they are not considered fundamental. In fact, the strength of the new medicine should be to adapt scientific knowledge to a specific clinical case. This book therefore looks at the prospect of a new 'person' centred medicine, which stands alongside the 'disease' and 'patient' centred medicine, which pays special attention to the subjectivity of scientific knowledge and the relationship between doctor and patient. It is important to emphasise that this book is written by several hands, i.e. by experts from different fields, doctors, philosophers, architects, sociologists, art critics, physicists and engineers. This is with the intention of providing as broad a perspective as possible on the doctor-patient relationship. Due to its translational and multicultural approach to the subject, the book will be of interest to a wide readership, from medical experts to students, psychologists, philosophers and institutional actors.