A Confucian Perspective on Public Health Ethics

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Public Health
• Moral Philosophy

Background:

• Contemporary public health ethics predominantly follows Western liberal assumptions.
• These assumptions include prioritizing liberty and autonomy, individualistic social ontology, personal responsibility, and consent-based obligations.
• This framework often marginalizes social, cultural, and religious contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine public health ethics from a non-Western moral tradition.
• To explore how Confucianism can offer a critical perspective on current public health ethics.
• To challenge the universality of Western liberal assumptions in ethics.

Main Methods:

• Outlining key tenets of Confucianism.
• Applying a Confucian ethical framework to analyze public health issues.
• Comparative analysis of Western liberal and Confucian ethical approaches.

Main Results:

• Confucianism presents a relational view of social ontology and shared well-being.
• It offers different perspectives on obligations, agency, and responsibility.
• This approach critiques the individualistic and autonomy-focused nature of Western liberalism.

Conclusions:

• Western liberal assumptions in public health ethics are not universal truths but require justification.
• A Confucian perspective can serve as an epistemic critique, highlighting the need to defend core assumptions.
• Incorporating Confucian insights can broaden the values informing public health policy and promote a more inclusive ethical discourse.