Related Experiment Videos
Interpretive bioethics: the way of discernment
1Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
Theoretical Medicine
|March 1, 1990
Summary
The applied action-guide approach in bioethics is critiqued for its flawed view of doctor-patient relationships and lack of critical depth. An alternative, rooted in rhetorical arts, is proposed for richer moral interpretation.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Medical Ethics
- Philosophy of Medicine
Background:
- The dominant action-guide approach in bioethics is examined.
- Its limitations regarding the doctor-patient relationship and critical analysis are highlighted.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically appraise the applied action-guide approach in bioethics.
- To propose an alternative framework for interpreting moral experience in healthcare.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of the action-guide approach.
- Exploration of the social contract theory's limitations in clinical contexts.
- Advocacy for methods from the rhetorical arts (practical reasoning, hermeneutics, casuistry, thick description).
Main Results:
- The action-guide approach is found to be incompatible with the lived experiences of illness and care.
- Its formalist nature leads to a lack of critical edge and a tendency towards accommodationism.
Conclusions:
- The applied action-guide approach requires significant revision or replacement.
- Rhetorical arts offer a more robust and nuanced method for bioethical interpretation and practice.