Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 45 (4-5):441-470 (2020)
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Principlism, the bioethical theory championed by Tom Beauchamp and James Childress, is centered on the four moral principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, respect for autonomy, and justice. Two key processes related to these principles are specification—adding specific content to general principles—and balancing—determining the relative weight of conflicting principles. I argue that both of these processes necessarily involve an appeal to human goods and evils, and therefore require a theory of the good. A significant problem with principlism is that it lacks a theory of the good and consequently does not have an adequate solution to the problems of specification and balancing. My conclusion is that principlism must adopt some account of human well-being in order to be a satisfactory bioethical framework.
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DOI | 10.1093/jmp/jhaa014 |
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References found in this work BETA
Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity: An Essay on Desire, Practical Reasoning, and Narrative.Alasdair MacIntyre - 2016 - Cambridge University Press.
The Pursuit of Unhappiness: The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being.Daniel M. Haybron - 2008 - Oxford University Press.
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Citations of this work BETA
Response to Commentaries.Tom L. Beauchamp & James F. Childress - 2020 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 45 (4-5):560-579.
Healthcare in Extreme and Austere Environments: Responding to the Ethical Challenges.David Zientek - 2020 - HEC Forum 32 (4):283-291.
Principlist Approach to Multiple Heart Valve Replacements for Patients with Intravenous Drug Use-Induced Endocarditis.Daniel Daly - forthcoming - Journal of Medical Ethics:medethics-2021-107685.
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