Open-ended eudemonism in healthcare: epistemological and procedural challenges

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Moral Philosophy
• Healthcare Ethics

Background:

• Growing interest in developing more engaging ethics theories and methods in healthcare and biomedical research.
• Contemporary open eudemonism emphasizes human flourishing and participatory approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the principles and challenges of open eudemonism in healthcare and biomedical research.
• To address epistemological and procedural obstacles to implementing participatory ethics focused on human flourishing.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of contemporary open eudemonism.
• Examination of pragmatic and hermeneutic approaches to ethics.
• Identification of epistemological and procedural challenges.

Main Results:

• Open eudemonism promotes organic ethical growth and moral learning beyond compliance.
• Epistemological challenges include achieving agreement on human flourishing and skepticism about its contribution.
• Procedural challenges involve motivation, leadership, and the ethicist's role in practice.

Conclusions:

• Open eudemonism offers a promising orientation for healthcare and biomedical research.
• Addressing identified challenges is crucial for fully realizing the potential of open eudemonism.
• Further research is needed to defend and implement this ethical framework effectively.