Philosophy 2440, Medical Ethics Exam 2 People

Robert Nozick's View on Justice

Libertarianism where justice equals entitlement; you own your property and taxation is seen as taking your labor, which is unjust. No one has a right to others’ resources.

Nozick's View on Healthcare

Healthcare is NOT a right; it’s a privilege that reflects an individual's ownership and entitlement.

John Rawls' View on Justice

Justice as fairness, where behind a veil of ignorance, no one knows their future position. Rational people would choose a system that ensures fairness for all.

Rawls' View on Healthcare

Healthcare is considered a right, as it contributes to a fair distribution of resources.

Nicholas Rescher's View on Scarcity and Allocation

Focuses on the allocation of scarce resources; acknowledges that no perfect system exists and the necessity of using fair procedures.

Rescher's Key Suggestions

Proposes a point system coupled with a lottery for resolving ties in resource allocation.

Rescher's Key Idea

Fair process is more critical than achieving a perfect outcome.

Moss and Siegler's View on Responsibility

Arguments state that responsibility matters in healthcare, particularly when addressing alcohol-related diseases, suggesting patients should be held partly accountable.

Key Issue in Responsibility and Healthcare

The dilemma between choice versus disease when determining patient treatment priority.

John Harris' Fair Innings Argument

Posits that everyone deserves a ‘normal lifespan’ (approximately 70 years); beyond that is seen as bonus time, allowing for prioritization of younger patients.

Harris' Key Idea

Every individual should have an equal chance at a full life.

Judith Jarvis Thomson's View on Abortion

Pro-choice stance emphasizing bodily autonomy, stating that even if the fetus is considered a person, abortion can still be justified.

Thomson's Violinist Example

A thought experiment illustrating the argument that the right to life does not equate to the right to use someone else's body.

Michael Tooley's Personhood Theory

Defines a person as a self-conscious being, indicating that fetuses and infants do not possess personhood.

Tooley's Key Idea

Without self-awareness, an entity does not have a right to life.

John Finnis' Strong Pro-life Perspective

Natural law theory that defines a person as any living human being beginning at conception, making abortion inherently wrong except in cases of indirect/double effect.

Finnis' Key Ideas

Emphasizes the principles of non-maleficence (do no harm) and the equality of all humans regarding life.

Don Marquis' View on Abortion

Claims that killing is wrong because it deprives an individual of a valuable future, and thus abortion is wrong since the fetus has a future like ours.

Marquis' Key Idea

The loss of a future equates to moral harm.