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Related Experiment Videos

Paternalism and partial autonomy.

O O'Neill

    Journal of Medical Ethics
    |December 1, 1984
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Human autonomy is not absolute, impacting informed consent and paternalistic treatment. Ethical theories must account for variable, partial autonomy in medical practice, not idealized unlimited autonomy.

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    Area of Science:

    • Bioethics
    • Medical Ethics
    • Philosophy of Medicine

    Background:

    • Standard ethical frameworks often contrast fully autonomous adults with patients possessing reduced capacities.
    • This contrast informs approaches to informed consent and the justification of paternalistic medical treatment.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To challenge the idealized notion of unlimited autonomy in ethical theory.
    • To propose an ethical framework that accommodates the variable and partial nature of actual human autonomy.

    Main Methods:

    • Conceptual analysis of autonomy in ethical and medical contexts.
    • Critique of idealized models of autonomy in bioethics.
    • Development of an alternative ethical perspective on paternalism and consent.
    Keywords:
    Analytical ApproachPhilosophical ApproachProfessional Patient Relationship

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    Main Results:

    • Human capacities for autonomy are inherently limited, not absolute.
    • Patients' autonomy is not radically different from the general population's.
    • Ethical theories need to incorporate the reality of partial autonomy.

    Conclusions:

    • An adequate ethical theory of paternalism and consent must acknowledge the variable and partial character of human autonomy.
    • Moving beyond idealized autonomy is crucial for ethical medical practice and respecting persons.
    • This revised understanding impacts how informed consent and paternalism are approached in healthcare and other fields.