Philosophical foundations of bioethics and its relevance in university education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20453/ah.v69i1.8147Keywords:
bioethics, ethics, philosophy, metaphysical humanism, medicine, university educationAbstract
Bioethics has established itself as an essential discipline for addressing the moral dilemmas arising from advances in the life sciences and medicine. However, understanding it requires a prior philosophical foundation that explains the meaning of human dignity and the criteria that guide moral action. This paper briefly explores the main philosophical foundations that have influenced contemporary bioethical schools of thought, particularly utilitarianism, deontology, and the classical tradition of virtue ethics. It also examines various bioethical approaches, such as principlism, virtue bioethics, and personalist bioethics. Finally, the paper acknowledges the role of metaphysical humanism as an anthropological foundation capable of supporting a comprehensive vision of human dignity and argues for the need to incorporate the systematic teaching of ethics and bioethics into university education.
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