PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Daniel Callahan, Conscientious Objector, Blood Transfusion

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHI 2396
• Professor: Andrew Sneddon

Document Summary

Chapter 6 beyond principlism 1 = autonomy under attack. Some medical professionals feel betrayed by the legal strength of the autonomy principle. If autonomy is not followed, it is a case for tort law leading to malpractice cases or even assault and battery. (cid:862)if the p(cid:396)i(cid:373)ary and exclusive emphasis is on autonomy, we will have excluded f(cid:396)o(cid:373) (cid:272)o(cid:374)side(cid:396)atio(cid:374) those goods a(cid:374)d (cid:448)alues that (cid:373)ake (cid:272)hoi(cid:272)es (cid:396)ight a(cid:374)d (cid:449)(cid:396)o(cid:374)g. (cid:863) The more autonomy drives public policy the less weight give to the common good. We are, by definition dependent not independent. The very precondition of our being able to develop and sustain our capacity for autonomy is attributable to our developing and remaining embedded within a network of social relationships. The capacity and aspiration for autonomy is not something we are born with but something we develop only in society. The fact that any of us has the capacity for autonomous agency is a debt we each owe to others.