Bioethics 23 (4):249-258 (2009)
Abstract |
In this article we distinguish between philosophical bioethics (PB), descriptive policy orientated bioethics (DPOB) and normative policy oriented bioethics (NPOB). We argue that finding an appropriate methodology for combining empirical data and moral theory depends on what the aims of the research endeavour are, and that, for the most part, this combination is only required for NPOB. After briefly discussing the debate around the is/ought problem, and suggesting that both sides of this debate are misunderstanding one another (i.e. one side treats it as a conceptual problem, whilst the other treats it as an empirical claim), we outline and defend a methodological approach to NPOB based on work we have carried out on a project exploring the normative foundations of paternal rights and responsibilities. We suggest that given the prominent role already played by moral intuition in moral theory, one appropriate way to integrate empirical data and philosophical bioethics is to utilize empirically gathered lay intuition as the foundation for ethical reasoning in NPOB. The method we propose involves a modification of a long-established tradition on non-intervention in qualitative data gathering, combined with a form of reflective equilibrium where the demands of theory and data are given equal weight and a pragmatic compromise reached.
|
Keywords | empirical bioethics reflective equilibrium Is/ought problem integrated ethics focus groups normative policy orientated bioethics methodology |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2009.01715.x |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
Toward Methodological Innovation in Empirical Ethics Research.Michael Dunn, Mark Sheehan, Tony Hope & Michael Parker - 2012 - Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 21 (4):466-480.
Design Bioethics: A Theoretical Framework and Argument for Innovation in Bioethics Research.Gabriela Pavarini, Robyn McMillan, Abigail Robinson & Ilina Singh - 2021 - American Journal of Bioethics 21 (6):37-50.
Research Across the Disciplines: A Road Map for Quality Criteria in Empirical Ethics Research.Marcel Mertz, Julia Inthorn, Günter Renz, Lillian Geza Rothenberger, Sabine Salloch, Jan Schildmann, Sabine Wöhlke & Silke Schicktanz - 2014 - BMC Medical Ethics 15 (1):17.
Charting Moral Psychology’s Significance for Bioethics: Routes to Bioethical Progress, its Limits, and Lessons From Moral Philosophy.Michael Klenk - 2020 - Diametros 17 (64):36-55.
An Update on the “Empirical Turn” in Bioethics: Analysis of Empirical Research in Nine Bioethics Journals.Tenzin Wangmo, Sirin Hauri, Eloise Gennet, Evelyn Anane-Sarpong, Veerle Provoost & Bernice S. Elger - 2018 - BMC Medical Ethics 19 (1):6.
View all 37 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
Reflective Equilibrium and Empirical Data: Third Person Moral Experiences in Empirical Medical Ethics.Martine de Vries & Evert van Leeuwen - 2010 - Bioethics 24 (9):490 - 498.
Constructing Empirical Bioethics: Foucauldian Reflections on the Empirical Turn in Bioethics Research. [REVIEW]Richard E. Ashcroft - 2003 - Health Care Analysis 11 (1):3-13.
‘Nobody Tosses a Dwarf!’ The Relation Between the Empirical and the Normative Reexamined.Carlo Leget, Pascal Borry & Raymond de Vries - 2009 - Bioethics 23 (4):226-235.
Scientific Contribution. Empirical Data and Moral Theory. A Plea for Integrated Empirical Ethics.Bert Molewijk, Anne M. Stiggelbout, Wilma Otten, Heleen M. Dupuis & Job Kievit - 2004 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 7 (1):55-69.
Basic Ethical Principles in European Bioethics and Biolaw: Autonomy, Dignity, Integrity and Vulnerability – Towards a Foundation of Bioethics and Biolaw.Jacob Dahl Rendtorff - 2002 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 5 (3):235-244.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-03-29
Total views
73 ( #159,544 of 2,519,622 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #406,756 of 2,519,622 )
2009-03-29
Total views
73 ( #159,544 of 2,519,622 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #406,756 of 2,519,622 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads