Bioethics: An Opinionated Introduction

Prof. Dr. John-Stewart Gordon

doi:10.5771/9783748968436

Summary

The textbook offers readers a clear and engaging entry point into the central questions of bioethics. It demonstrates how ethical principles such as autonomy, dignity, justice, and human rights can be applied to contemporary medical, technological, and social challenges. Through classical and modern case studies, it provides methodological clarity and argumentative confidence in addressing moral dilemmas — from patient autonomy and global justice to disability and aging ethics. The textbook is aimed at students, teachers, and professionals in philosophy, medicine, ethics, law, and public policy.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2026
Copyright year: 2026
ISBN-Print: 978-3-7560-3698-1
ISBN-Online: 978-3-7489-6843-6
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: NomosTextbook
Language: English
Pages: 386
Product type: Educational Book

1. Preface No access
1. I. Why Bioethics? No access
2. 1. 1. Preliminary Distinctions No access
  2. 1. 2.1 The Origin of the Notion of Bioethics No access
    2. 2.2 The Origin of the Academic Discipline and Institutionalization of Bioethics No access
    3. 2.3 The Origin of Bioethics as a Phenomenon No access
  3. 1. 3.1 Introduction No access
    2. 3.2 Medical Ethics No access
    3. 3.3 Animal Ethics No access
    4. 3.4 Environmental Ethics No access
  4. 4. The Idea of Moral Status in Bioethics No access
  5. 1. 5.1 Introduction No access
    2. 5.2 Deontological Approaches No access
    3. 5.3 Utilitarianism No access
    4. 5.4 The Four-Principle Approach No access
    5. 5.5 Virtue Ethics No access
    6. 5.6 Casuistry No access
    7. 5.7 Feminist Bioethics No access
  6. 6. References No access
1. I. Section Introduction No access Pages 48 - 51
2. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. The Case of Maria No access
  3. 1. (i) Nonmaleficence and beneficence No access
    2. (ii) The principle of autonomy No access
  4. 1. (i) Additional specifications No access
    2. (ii) Balancing: personal autonomy trumps professional autonomy No access
  5. 4. Common Morality As An Organizing Principle No access
  6. 5. Conclusions No access
  7. 6. References No access
3. 1. 0. Introduction No access
  2. 1. Ethics and Culture No access
  3. 1. 2.1 What is Principlism? No access
    2. 2.2. The Dialectical Relation between Common Morality and Particular Moralities No access
    3. 2.3 On the Universal Applicability of Individual Informed Consent No access
  4. 3. Bridging The Gap No access
  5. 1. 4.1 The Belmont Report No access
    2. 4.2 Kantianism No access
    3. 4.3 Utilitarianism No access
    4. 4.4 Results No access
  6. 5. Conclusion No access
  7. 6. References No access
4. IV. Study Questions No access Pages 93 - 93
1. I. Section Introduction No access Pages 94 - 99
2. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 2.1 History No access
    2. 2.2 Justification No access
    3. 2.3 Objections No access
  3. 3. Human Rights and Bioethics No access
  4. 1. 4.1 The Institutional Approach to Human Rights No access
    2. 4.2 The Agency-based Approach to Human Dignity No access
  5. 1. 5.1 Baranzke: ‘Sanctity-of-Life’–A Bioethical Principle for a Right to Life? No access
    2. 5.2 Cochrane: Evaluating ‘Bioethical Approaches’ to Human Rights No access
    3. 5.3 Ram-Tiktin: The Right to Health Care as a Right to Basic Human Functional Capabilities No access
    4. 5.4 Schroeder: Human Rights and Human Dignity. An Appeal to Separate the Conjoined Twins No access
  6. 6. Conclusions No access
  7. 7. References No access
3. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 2. A Critique of Human Dignity: Is Dignity a Useless Concept? No access
  3. 1. 3.1 Immediate Responses to Macklin’s Editorial No access
    2. 3.2 Why Human Dignity Is Still a Useful Concept After All No access
  4. 1. 4.1 The Concept of Human Rights No access
    2. 4.2 Some Brief Remarks on the History of Human Rights in Bioethics No access
    3. 4.3 Why Human Rights in Bioethics? No access
    4. 4.4 The Cultural Gap: The Claws of Ethical Relativism No access
    5. 4.5 Human Rights and Human Dignity No access
  5. 5. Conclusion No access
  6. 6. References No access
4. 1. 0. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 1.1 Models of Disability No access
    2. 1.2. Inclusion, Integration, and Segregation in Education No access
    3. 1. 1.3.1 Human Rights No access
      2. 1.3.2 Human Right to Education No access
      3. 1.3.3 Human Right to Inclusive Education No access
  3. 1. 2.1 Pro: The Argument of Empowerment No access
    2. 2.2 Contra: The Argument for Better Care No access
  4. 1. 3.1 Equality in Education — The Linda Brown Case No access
    2. 1. 3.2.1. Requirements No access
      2. 3.2.2 Inclusive Education — A Special or General Right? No access
      3. 3.2.3 Who Owes What to Impaired Students? — Corresponding Duties of Inclusive Education No access
  5. 4. Conclusions No access
  6. 5. References No access
5. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 2.1 Some Empirical Facts No access
    2. 2.2 Cultural Sensitivity No access
    3. 2.3 The Cultural-Feminist Objection: Male Westerners Have No Say! No access
  3. 1. 3.1 What Is a Human Right? No access
    2. 3.2 The Idea of Moderate Human Rights No access
    3. 3.3 Moderate Human Rights and Cultural Identity No access
  4. 1. 4.1 Empirical Evidence and Moral Permissibility No access
    2. 1. 4.2.1 Pro: Group-related Reasons No access
      2. 4.2.2 Con: Autonomy and Human Rights Violations No access
  5. 1. 1. 5.1.1 The Three Main Types of FGC No access
      2. 5.1.2 Medical Experts No access
      3. 5.1.3 Medical Instruments and Narcosis No access
    2. 1. 5.2.1 Maturity No access
      2. 5.2.2 Individual Informed Consent No access
    3. 1. 5.3.1 No Social Pressure No access
      2. 5.3.2 No Socio-political Disadvantage No access
  6. 1. 6.1 Female Genital Alteration: A Compromise Solution No access
    2. 6.2 Not All Cultural Traditions Deserve Respect No access
  7. 7. Conclusion No access
  8. 8. References No access
6. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 2.1 What is old age? No access
    2. 2.2 Social causes of indignity No access
    3. 2.3 ‘Natural’ causes of indignity No access
    4. 2.4 The potential of elderly people No access
  3. 1. 3.1 The argument from inconclusiveness No access
    2. 1. 3.2.1 Cases of indignity No access
      2. 3.2.2 The appeal to indignity No access
      3. 3.2.3 The relational approach No access
      4. 3.2.4 The religious approach No access
      5. 3.2.5 The subjective approach No access
      6. 3.2.6 The autonomy-based approach No access
      7. 3.2.7 The legalistic approach No access
      8. 3.2.8 Limitations of these approaches No access
  4. 1. 4.1 Dignity-conserving care: the approach of Max H. Chochinov No access
    2. 4.2 Lennart Nordenfelt’s dignity-based approach to elderly people No access
    3. 4.3 The Dignity and Older Europeans study No access
  5. 5. Conclusion No access
  6. 6. References No access
7. VII. Study Questions No access Pages 224 - 225
1. I. Section Introduction No access Pages 226 - 230
2. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 2.1 Introducing the key concepts No access
    2. 2.3 Clinical ethics expertise No access
  3. 1. 3.1 A critical overview No access
    2. 3.2 Moral advice in clinical settings No access
  4. 1. 4.1 Moral beliefs and the danger of disconnection from moral character No access
    2. 4.2 Moral testimony and becoming (morally) inauthentic No access
    3. 4.3 Linking moral testimony and moral expertise No access
  5. 5. The Case of Clinical Ethics Experts: A Brief Synopsis No access
  6. 6. Conclusions No access
  7. 7. References No access
3. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 2. Preliminary Distinctions No access
  3. 1. 3.1 The Hippocratic Oath and the Self-Conception of the Physician No access
    2. 3.2 Justifying Medical Paternalism No access
    3. 3.3 The Physician Knows Best No access
    4. 3.4 The Patient Is Overwhelmed by the Situation No access
    5. 3.5 The Significant Risk No access
  4. 1. 4.1 The Notion(s) of Autonomy No access
    2. 4.2 What Is In the Best Interest of the Patient? The Case of Truth Telling No access
  5. 5. The Four Models of the Physician-Patient Relationship No access
  6. 1. 6.1 Research on Human Subjects No access
    2. 6.2 The Incompetent Patient and Surrogate Decision-Making No access
    3. 6.3 The Cost-Efficacy Ratio and Futile Treatment No access
  7. 7. Conclusions No access
  8. 8. References No access
4. 1. 1. 1.1 Three Views on Abortion No access
    2. 1.2 The Standard Argument No access
    3. 1.3 The Modified Standard Argument No access
  2. 2. Personhood No access
  3. 1. 3.1 Moral Rights No access
    2. 3.2 At Birth No access
    3. 3.3 Viability No access
    4. 3.4 First Movement No access
    5. 3.5 Consciousness and the Ability to Feel Pain No access
    6. 3.6 Unicellular Zygote No access
    7. 3.7 Thomson and the Argument of The Sickly Violinist No access
  4. 1. 4.1 The Account of Quasi-Rights No access
    2. 4.2 The Argument of Potentiality No access
  5. 1. 1. 5.1.1 Rape No access
      2. 5.1.2 Endangerment of the Woman’s Life No access
      3. 5.1.3 Serious Mentally or Physically Disabled Fetuses No access
    2. 1. 5.2.1 A Journey to Europe No access
      2. 5.2.2 Financial and Social Reasons No access
    3. 5.3 First Order Reasons vs. Second Order Reasons No access
  6. 6. Public Policy and Abortion No access
  7. 7. Clinical Ethics Consultation and Abortion No access
  8. 8. References and Further Reading No access
5. V. Study Questions No access Pages 287 - 288
1. I. Section Introduction No access Pages 289 - 293
2. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 2.1 Historical observations: The rise of autonomy in medical ethics No access
    2. 2.2 The notion of autonomy No access
    3. 1. 2.3.1 Utilitarianism No access
      2. 2.3.2 Deontology No access
    4. 2.4 The disability rights community No access
    5. 2.5 Conflicting views: Mapping the landscape No access
  3. 1. 3.1 Unlinking personhood and moral status No access
    2. 3.2 Avoiding extreme positions No access
    3. 3.3 Unfolding the perspectives: I-, you-, and third-person perspectives No access
  4. 4. Conclusions No access
  5. 5. References No access
3. 1. 0. Introduction No access
  2. 1. Preliminary Remarks No access
  3. 2. Rights No access
  4. 3. Human Rights for Persons with Impairments—A Brief Overview of Disability Rights Legislation No access
  5. 4. Future Challenges: Inclusive Education and Bioethical Issues No access
  6. 5. Conclusions No access
  7. 6. References No access
4. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 2. Preliminary Distinctions No access
  3. 3. What is Moral Enhancement? No access
  4. 1. 4.1 Cognitive Enhancement No access
    2. 4.2 Moral Enhancement No access
  5. 5. Does Moral Enhancement Undermine Free Will? No access
  6. 1. 6.1 Whose Morality? No access
    2. 6.2 Moral Motivation and Moral Action No access
  7. 1. 7.1 Immoral Action and Compulsory Moral Enhancement No access
    2. 7.2 In Support of Refined Marxism No access
    3. 7.3 Deepening the Understanding of the Relation between Compulsory Moral Enhancement, Refined Marxism, and the New Human Being No access
  8. 8. Conclusion No access
  9. 9. References No access
5. 1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. 2.1 The Soccer Case No access
    2. 2.2 HIV Case No access
    3. 2.3 The Chorea Huntington Case No access
  3. 1. 3.1 Objection—A Life with CH is Non-tragic No access
  4. 1. 4.1 History No access
    2. 4.2 The Notion of Autonomy No access
  5. 1. 5.1 A Self-Refuting Endeavor? No access
    2. 5.2 Objection—On the Reliability of First-Person Reports No access
    3. 5.3 On Some Differences of Analogy between the Right To Know and the Right Not To Know No access
    4. 5.4 Autonomy-based Conflicts No access
  6. 6. Conclusions No access
  7. 7. References No access
6. VI. Study Questions No access Pages 374 - 374
General Conclusions No access Pages 375 - 380
Original Publications No access Pages 381 - 382
Index No access Pages 383 - 386