Bioethics - Davidde Batisti

What is the ‘no special pleading’ principle in bioethics?

Arguments should be made based on rational argument and adhere to Rawls, Assers and Daniels account of reflective equilibrium. Example: Kass is a bio-ethicus that calls and pleads to Gods creation or intention in some of his arguments, which is oppressive to the principle. for example he calls on the ‘natural’ inclination of men to feel shame when he is naked. Now, we can counter argue this easily by pointing to instances of anthropology where nakedness is not shameful at all. however, tying this to a conclusion that god made it, and so these non-shameful folks would be savage for example, is irrational or inacceptabel.

what is the Georgetown mantra?

The Georgetown Mantra refers to principilism ( first 3 mentioned in Belmont raport in 1974: autonomy, beneficence, and justice and also part of Tom Beauchamp and James Childress in their book Principles of Biomedical Ethics (1979), in which they state that the following four prima facie principles lie at the core of moral reasoning in health care: respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice)

What is Sidgwick’s suggestion (that if we wish to understand the nature of morality) we must do

what we must do is understand and critically analyse how it is we reach reasoned convictions—implies that a critical analysis of how it is that good bioethics applies moral reason to practical ethical issues is the route whereby an account of method in bioethics can be grounded.

What does Battin suggest about bio-ethi