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Biobank for Translational Medicine: Standard Operating Procedures for Optimal Sample Management

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Published on: November 30, 2022

Abolishing morality in biomedical ethics.

Parker Crutchfield¹, Scott Scheall²

¹Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law, Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.

|February 17, 2024

Summary

Biomedical ethicists often inaccurately assign moral obligations due to a lack of understanding of individual epistemic burdens. This study argues for abolishing obligation attribution in biomedical ethics to correct widespread errors.

Keywords:

epistemic burdens error theory obligation attributions practical interests

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Ethics
Moral Philosophy
Epistemology

Background:

Moral realism is widely accepted in biomedical ethics, positing that moral claims are true propositions.
Biomedical ethics frequently attributes moral obligations, stating what individuals
should do.
However, these attributions may be inaccurate under moral realism.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a novel argument demonstrating widespread error in biomedical ethical obligation attribution.
To propose the abolition of obligation attribution within biomedical ethics discourse.

Main Methods:

The study introduces the concept of 'epistemic burdens'—obstacles to achieving aims.
It argues that epistemic burdens influence decision-making and determine actual obligations.
The core argument highlights ethicists' limited access to individuals' epistemic burdens.

Main Results:

Most obligation attributions in biomedical ethics are erroneous or inaccurate.
Ethicists' lack of access to epistemic burdens means accurate obligation attribution is often coincidental.
The practice of attributing obligations in biomedical ethics is fundamentally flawed.

Conclusions:

The practice of attributing moral obligations in biomedical ethics should be abolished.
This abolition is proposed as a solution to the pervasive errors in obligation attribution.
Rethinking the discourse around moral obligations in this field is necessary.