HLTA03H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Bioethics, Normative Ethics, Descriptive Ethics
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Biomedical ethics: sub-discipline of the philosophical study of ethics. Ethics: the study of how we ought to act (rules provided by external source like church, school, society, et(cid:272) (cid:895) 1. Examples of ethical theory: -the golden rule: (cid:862)do u(cid:374)to others as (cid:455)ou (cid:449)ould ha(cid:448)e the(cid:373) do u(cid:374)to (cid:455)ou(cid:863) Utilitarianism: (cid:862)ma(cid:454)i(cid:373)ize the (cid:449)elfare of so(cid:272)iet(cid:455) take(cid:374) as a (cid:449)hole(cid:863)- egoism: (cid:862)ea(cid:272)h perso(cid:374) should maximize his or her own well-(cid:271)ei(cid:374)g(cid:863) Biomedical ethics is also concerned with how we ought to act, but it is focused on the narrow arena of healthcare delivery, medical research, and public health. Bioethics and ethics are concerned with questions of morality. Morality (cid:894)i(cid:374)di(cid:448)idual(cid:859)s o(cid:449)(cid:374) pri(cid:374)(cid:272)iples regardi(cid:374)g right a(cid:374)d (cid:449)ro(cid:374)g(cid:895) can be understood in two different senses: 1) descriptively 2) normatively: descriptive sense of morality: the code of conduct that people, in fact, believe in (or endorse) A(cid:272)(cid:272)ordi(cid:374)g to terr(cid:455)(cid:859)s (cid:373)oralit(cid:455), o(cid:374)e should al(cid:449)a(cid:455)s tip 18% at a restaura(cid:374)t.