Medical Ethics Bing Final

Categorical Imperative

A key concept in Kantian ethics stating that actions are moral if they follow universal laws.

First Formulation of the Categorical Imperative

Act only on maxims that could be universal laws.

Second Formulation of the Categorical Imperative

Treat humanity as an end, never merely as a means.

Act Utilitarianism

Evaluates individual actions by their outcomes.

Rule Utilitarianism

Focuses on following rules that maximize happiness over time.

Survival Lottery

A thought experiment questioning the morality of killing one healthy person to save two others in need of organs.

Tooley’s Self-Consciousness Requirement

States that the right to life depends on the ability to desire continued existence, which requires self-consciousness.

Marquis's Argument on Killing

Killing is wrong because it deprives individuals of a valuable future filled with experiences and joy.

Thomson's Violinist Example

Demonstrates that a woman is not obligated to sustain a fetus even if it has a right to life if she didn’t consent.

QALY

Quality-Adjusted Life Years, a measure used in healthcare to guide resource allocation based on quantity and quality of life.

Identified vs. Statistical Victims

The bias where people prioritize identified victims due to their vividness and certainty of harm over statistical victims.

Rational Desire Conditions

For a choice to express a rational desire, it must involve knowledge of all options, logical reasoning, and imaginative consequences.

Complicity in Torture

Involvement in unethical actions determined by assistance and shared intention with wrongdoers.

Human Right to Health

The challenge of defining health as a right includes vagueness, inefficient spending, and prioritizing specific diseases.