Phil 2113: International and Biomedical Ethics

University of Minnesota, Morris
Spring 2008
Professor Collier
Tu&Th 12:00-1:40
Hum 111

Course Description: Do you think that warfare is ever justified? Do you think that it is morally permissible for the United States to intervene militarily when nations violate the human rights of their own citizens? Do you think that we have a moral obligation to give away our surplus income in order to save the lives of those who are dying from famine? These are some of the issues concerning international ethics that we will discuss in the first half of this class. In the second half, we will examine a number of (closely related) ethical issues that arise in the context of medicine and biotechnology: Is abortion morally permissible? Should patients be allowed to make autonomous choices about end-of-life decisions, including decisions about when to die? Do we have a right to health care? How should we distribute scarce medical resources? Must these resources be distribued equally, or can some groups receive more or less than others? We will look at a number of influential contemporary approaches to these and other challenging questions.

Course Requirements: This course will be structured around a combination of lectures and class discussions/group work. This means that you should come to class well-prepared (i.e. with a solid understanding of the readings for the day and questions for discussion). You will be expected to make significant contributions in class discussions as well as in web-forum discussions.

Grade Distribution:

Three Exams: 20% each
Paper (6-8 pages): 20% (date TBA)
Class Discussion: 20%

CLASS CALENDAR

Course Topics:

The Ethics of Killing I: Abortion and Euthanasia

M. Tooley: "Abortion and Infanticide"
J.J. Thompson: "A Defense of Abortion"
D. Marquis: "Why Abortion is Immoral"
J. Glover: "The Sanctity of Life"
P. Singer: "Is the Sanctity of Life Ethic Terminally Ill?"
J. Rachels: "Active and Passive Euthanasia"
W. Nisbett: "Is Killing No Worse Than Letting Die?"
H. Kuhse: "Why Killing is Not Always Worse - and Sometimes Better - Than Letting Die”

The Ethics of Killing II: Morality and War

G.E.M. Anscombe: “War and Murder” (*)
G. Mavrodes: “Conventions and the Morality of War”
R. Fullwinder: “War and Innocence”
L. Alexander: "Self-Defense and the Killing of Noncombatants: A Reply to Fullinwinder"
T. Nagel: “War and Massacre”

Patient Autonomy I: Advanced Directives

J.S. Mill: "Autonomy"
R. Dworkin: "Life Past Reason"
R. Dresser: "Dworkin on Dementia: Elegant Theory, Questionable Policy"

Patient Autonomy II: Physician-Assisted Suicide

D. Hume: "Essay on Suicide" (word) (html)
D. Callahan: “When Self-Determination Runs Amok”
J. Lachs: "When Abstract Morality Runs Amok"

National Autonomy: States, Human Rights, and Just Wars

M. Walzer: “The Rights of Political Communities”
D. Luban: “Just War and Human Rights”

Global Justice: Famine Relief and Resource Redistribution

P. Singer: “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”
O. O'Neill: "Lifeboat Earth"
C. Beitz: "Justice and International Relations"

Health Care Justice: Rights and Opportunities

N. Daniels: "Health-Care Needs and Distributive Justice"
A. Buchanan: “Is There a Right to a Decent Minimum of Health Care?”

Health Care Justice II: Micro-allocations and Scarce Resources

Moss and Siegler: “Should Alcoholics Compete Equally for Liver Transplantation?”
Cohen et. al: “Alcoholics and Liver Transplanation” (e-reserve)
Veatch: "How Age Should Matter: Justice as the Basis for Limiting Care to the Elderly"

Organ Transplanation

G. Annas: “The Prostitute, the Playboy, and the Poet: Rationing Schemes for Organ Transplanation”
Harris: “Survival Lottery”

The Ethics of Animal Experimentation

P. Singer: "All Animals are Equal"
B. Steinbock: "Speciesism and the Idea of Equality"

(*) = Available on e-reserve at Briggs Library