Inter-Philosophies Dialogue: Creating a Paradigm for Global Health Ethics

While debate remains about the definition and goals of work on global health, there is growing agreement that our moral starting point is the reality of unjust inequalities in the distribution of the conditions necessary for human health and well-being. With the growth of multi-jurisdictional and multicultural global health partnerships, the adequacy of the prevailing bioethical paradigm guiding the conduct of global health research and practice is being increasingly challenged. In response to ethical challenges and conflicts confronted by decision-makers in global health research and practice, we propose an innovative methodology that could be developed to bridge the gap between polarized systems of ideas and values (metaphysical, epistemological, moral, and political). Our inter-philosophies methodology provides the potential to construct a new, shared paradigm for global health ethics, thereby increasing the capacity for solidarity and shared decision-making in global health research and practice.