Ethics at the Edges of Life

Ethics at the Edges of Life PDF

Author: Paul Ramsey

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 1978-01-01

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 9780300021417

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The tremendous changes in society's attitudes toward abortion, euthanasia, the right to die, and other related life-and-death issues are reflected in recent court decisions and in new legislation. This important book by one of America's leading writers in the field of medical ethics analyzes these legal issues at the ethical level, showing how our laws and practices affect and reflect the morality of our times. Ramsey is concerned with medicine, ethics, law, and with medical and public policy. He examines relevant laws and court decisions that make policy, but not without a healthy measure of moral argument and critical assessment. Among the recent legal issues that he analyzes in detail are the decision of the Supreme Court of New Jersey in the Quinlan case; the rights of defective newborn infants; the Edelin negligent manslaughter case; the "conscience clauses" in our federal code and in state statutes; the Supreme Court's landmark decision on abortion in Planned Parenthood v. Danforth; and California's Natural Death Act. Ramsey studies the reasoning behind the court's decision or the law and holds up these legal processes as mirrors in which we can see reflected the state of moral questions as they are perceived by contemporary society. A perceptive and well-informed social critic, he provides an ethical assessment of the discourse going on concerning issues of medical practice and public policy. "What [Ramsey] has to say must be of compelling interest to everyone concerned with the moral problems of medicine, life and death and not merely to those who share his faith. This is . . . probably the single most important text in the area of medical ethics written in modern times. . . . It is a book that cannot itself be summarized; it has to be read."--Alasdair MacIntyre, The New Republic "Ramsey's arguments . . . reflect great moral passion as well as his usual rigorous analysis."--James F. Childress, Religious Studies Review "Ramsey forces one to think deeply and systematically about issues that cannot be reduced to maxims or formulas. His work serves both as a challenge and as an inspiration."--New England Journal of Medicine "A monumental feat. Ramsey is neither a physician nor a lawyer, but I venture to say that he has much to offer members of each profession - and a great deal to offer the average reader. His analysis of the legal issues at the 'edges of life' and his critical assessment of the relevant court decisions are brimful, probing and provocative. A meaty book, beautifully written."--Yale Kamisar Ethics at the Edges of Life was selected as an outstanding book for 1979 in the Scholarly Books category of the National Religious Book Awards.

The Edge of Life

The Edge of Life PDF

Author: Christopher Kaczor

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2005-05-17

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781402031557

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Edge of Life: Human Dignity and Contemporary Bioethics resituates bioethics in fundamental outlook by challenging both the dominant Kantian and utilitarian approaches to evaluating how new technologies apply to human life. Drawing on an analysis of the dignity of the human person, both as an agent and as the recipient of action, The Edge of Life presents a "theoretical" approach to the problems of contemporary bioethics and applies this approach to various disputed questions. Should conjoined twins be split, if the division will end the life of the weaker twin? Was Bush's stem cell research decision morally acceptable? Are the 'quality of life' and 'sanctity of life' ethics irreconcilably incompatible? Accessible to both scholars and students, The Edge of Life focuses particularly on the controversial issues surrounding the beginning and ending of human life, tackling some of the toughest practical questions of bioethics including new reproductive technologies (artificial wombs), stem cell research, abortion and physician assisted suicide, as well as many of its vexing theoretical disputes.

Rethinking Life and Death

Rethinking Life and Death PDF

Author: Peter Singer

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 1996-04-15

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9780312144012

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In a reassessment of the meaning of life and death, a noted philosopher offers a new definition for life that contrasts a world dependent on biological maintenance with one controlled by state-of-the-art medical technology.

The Power of Ethics

The Power of Ethics PDF

Author: Susan Liautaud

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: 2021-01-05

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1982132191

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The essential guide for ethical decision-making in the 21st century, The Power of Ethics depicts “ethical decision-making not in a nebulous philosophical space, but at the point where the rubber meets the road” (Michael Schur, producer and creator of The Good Place). It’s not your imagination: we’re living in a time of moral decline. Publicly, we’re bombarded with reports of government leaders acting against the welfare of their constituents; companies prioritizing profits over health, safety, and our best interests; and technology posing risks to society with few or no repercussions for those responsible. Personally, we may be conflicted about how much privacy to afford our children on the internet; how to make informed choices about our purchases and the companies we buy from; or how to handle misconduct we witness at home and at work. How do we find a way forward? Today’s ethical challenges are increasingly gray, often without a clear right or wrong solution, causing us to teeter on the edge of effective decision-making. With concentrated power structures, rapid advances in technology, and insufficient regulation to protect citizens and consumers, ethics are harder to understand than ever. But in The Power of Ethics, Susan Liautaud shows how ethics can be used to create a sea change of positive decisions that can ripple outward to our families, communities, workplaces, and the wider world—offering unprecedented opportunity for good. Drawing on two decades as an ethics advisor guiding corporations and leaders, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and students in her Stanford University ethics courses, Susan Liautaud provides clarity to blurry ethical questions, walking you through a straightforward, four-step process for ethical decision-making you can use every day. Liautaud also explains the six forces driving virtually every ethical choice we face. Exploring some of today’s most challenging ethics dilemmas and showing you how to develop a clear point of view, speak out with authority, make effective decisions, and contribute to a more ethical world for yourself and others, The Power of Ethics is the must-have ethics guide for the 21st century.

Ethics for Modern Life

Ethics for Modern Life PDF

Author: Raziel Abelson

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 1982-01-01

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 9780312266011

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"Ethics for Modern Life," an anthology of classic and contemporary readings, offers students a well-balanced and cohesive introduction to ethics.

Ethics at the Edges of Law

Ethics at the Edges of Law PDF

Author: Cathleen Kaveny

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0190612290

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Ethics at the Edges of Law: Christian Moralists and American Legal Thought shows how methods and doctrines drawn from the American legal tradition can constructively advance the discussion of key issues in Christian ethics. More broadly, the book argues that religious ethicists should consider legal thought to be a valuable conversation partner on a par with philosophical thought. Each of the chapters places the work of an important contemporary figure in Christian ethics in conversation with particular legal cases and questions. The book is divided into three major parts: “Narratives and Norms,” “Love, Justice, and Law,” and “Legal Categories and Theological Problems.” Ethicists considered include John Noonan Jr., Stanley Hauerwas, Jeffrey Stout, Gene Outka, Margaret Farley, Paul Ramsey, Robert E. Rodes Jr., Walter Kasper, Germain Grisez and H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. Legal topics explored include the development of the common law as a morally rich tradition, the relationship between rules and particular cases, and the role of individual experience in formulating generally applicable norms. Theological issues discussed include the meaning of covenant fidelity, the requirements of compassion, and the demands of neighbor love. Fruitful intersections between law and theological ethics are developed by considering particular examples and cases from contract law, criminal law, and health-care law. Ethics at the Edges of Law ends by examining the various and often conflicting meanings of the term “legalism,” which has long been considered a derogatory term in Christian moral thought.

The Edge of Ethics

The Edge of Ethics PDF

Author: Susan Liautaud

Publisher:

Published: 2021-01-05

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9781471188565

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A broad-sweeping look at ethics and a framework on how to make ethical decisions.

The Ethics of Joy

The Ethics of Joy PDF

Author: Youpa Andrew

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020-01-13

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0190086025

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Philosopher Andrew Youpa offers a novel reading of Spinoza's moral philosophy. Unlike approaches to moral philosophy that center on praiseworthiness and blameworthiness, Youpa argues that Spinoza's moral philosophy is about how to live lovingly and joyously, not hatefully or sorrowfully. It is, fundamentally, an ethics of joy. Central to this reading is a defense of the view that there is a way of life that is best for human beings, and that what makes it best is its alignment with human nature. This is not, significantly, an ethics of accountability, or what a person does or does not deserve. Morality's role is not to assign credit or blame to individuals in an economy of good and evil; rather, it is to heal the sick and empower the vulnerable. It is an ethics centered on what, with respect to mental and physical well-being, requires our attention. Spinoza's ethics adheres to a medical model of morality, enacting and embodying a system of care to ourselves, care to others, and care to things in the world around us. From this approach, Youpa defends a comprehensive reading of Spinoza's moral philosophy, including its realism, pluralism, and the importance of friendship and education, which are the greatest sources of empowerment and joy. Empowering ourselves and others begins with love: the type of love that Spinoza refers to as the virtue of modestia, or humble devotion to others with their true well-being in mind. Youpa's examination starts with an original interpretaion of Spinoza's theory of emotions, and then turns to the metaphysical foundation of his moral philosophy and its normative and practical implications.