PHIL 165.002 – Bioethics

In this course, we will apply philosophical methods to ethical issues in science, medicine, and health care. The specific questions we will consider fall into three broad categories. First, we will consider questions about bringing individuals into existence. Is abortion, embryo screening, or human reproductive cloning morally permissible? Second, we will consider how medical professionals and researchers ought to treat living patients and research subjects. Should doctors always tell the truth? When, if ever, are experiments on human beings or nonhuman animals justified? Finally, we will consider questions about death. What kinds of euthanasia, if any, are morally permissible? Is killing worse than letting die? This course is interdisciplinary and will be accessible if you are interested in bioethics, regardless of whether you have a background in philosophy, science, medicine, or public policy.