PHIL 165.001 – Bioethics

Instructor: Izzy Brassfield. This course meets MTWRF 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in CW 103.

Does respecting human life require that we do all we can to prolong it? Does respect require that we treat our bodies in certain ways? We also must question what it means to have a life worth living. Are all human lives equally worth living? Or are some lives better than others? Are there some lives that are so horrendous that they aren’t worth living at all? These are some of the questions that new medical advances force us to confront. Drawing on both classic and contemporary readings, we will explore these and many other moral quandaries.  Topics will include: abortion, physician-assisted suicide, genetic testing and engineering, healthcare resource allocation, and end-of-life care.