3. The Goal of Bio-Medical Ethics
الطبيةاألخالقياتدراسة من الغاية
• Generally: to provide a systematic answer
to the question of how we should behave
in the bio-medical dilemmas?
5. Introduction to Ethical Theory
• “our focus will be on normative medical
ethics, i.e., how people should behave in
medical situations”
6. Theory 1. Moral Objectivism
المعياريةاألخالق
• What is morally right or wrong doesn’t
depend on what anyone thinks is right or
wrong. 'Moral facts' are like 'physical' facts
in that what the facts are does not depend
on what anyone thinks they are. They
simply have to be discovered.
– E.g., Divine Command Theory – what’s right is
what God commands; what’s wrong is what God
forbids
7. Theory 2. Moral Relativism
• What is morally right or wrong depends on
the prevailing view in the society or culture
we happen to be dealing with.
• Often presented as a tolerant view: ‘if moral
relativism is true, no one has a right to force his
moral views on others.’
8. Arguments for Moral Relativism
The 'Cultural Differences' Argument
– Claim: There are huge differences in moral
beliefs from culture to culture and era to era.
• E.g., Some cultures endorse the killing of elderly
members of the tribe, we condemn such actions.
9. Why is the Cultural Differences Argument
Weak?
• I. Controversy regarding how much
fundamental disagreement about morality
there really is
• II. Differing opinions regarding an issue
don’t prove there is no fact of the matter
about that issue
– Imagine relativism about the shape of the earth
(e.g., in the 1400s)
11. Problems
• Deontology: What if doing your duty has
repugnant consequences?
– Kant on telling lies
• Consequentialism: What if you have to do
something that seems wrong in order to
produce the best consequences?
– Convicting the innocent
13. Four Principles
• 1. Autonomy
• 2. Beneficence
• 3. Non-maleficence
• 4. Justice
– 1 & 4 are Deontological
– 2 & 3 are Consequential
• It is really possible to have it both ways?
15. Islam & ethics
Can the Ethics be changed and improved?
(َينِّنِّمْؤُمْال ُعَفْنَت ى َرْكِّالذ َّنِّإَف ْرِّكَذ َو[ )الذاريات/55]
(َم واُرَِّيغُي ىَّتَح ٍم ْوَقِّب اَم ُرَِّيغُي ال َ َّاَّلل َّنِّإْمِّهُِِّفْنََِّب ا[ )الرعد/11]
(مكارم ألتمم بعثت إنما[رواية وفي:صالح]األخالق[ )ِلِلة
الصحيحية األحاديث/45]
16. Islam & ethics
• Criteria of ethical decision
– How we will decide who is good and who
is bad?
• Many !
• Single opinion (Islam)
– How we can evaluate the ethical
progress?
• Conditional
• Absolute (Islam)
28. Ethics in Islam & Philosophy
PHILOSOPHY ISLAM
Purpose To get ethical life Not only to get ethical life but follow God’s
orders
Human Mind origin Divine origin
Different criteria Only one criterion
Conditional Criterion Absolute Criterion
Conflicts opinions Fixed and clear
No disagreement with science No disagreement with science
No motivation to ethical life Good motivation