Bioethics
Code
711031066
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Filosofia
Credits
6
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
a) To know the genesis and evolution of Bioethics and its main schools of thought.
b) To recognize the essentially interdisciplinary dimension of Bioethics.
c) To know the ethical foundations of Bioethics, as well as their basic principles and their application methods.
d) To discuss bioethical issues related to the various stages of human life (from its beginning to its end).
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
Bioethics is a domain that, on the one hand, has seen its scope for reflection continuously expand, and on the other has been subjected to a constant process of review of its procedures and solutions. Besides the new problems that the progress of science keeps aggregating to the more traditional themes of Bioethics, problem discussion and solving in itself are the subject of a growing reflection and theorizing.
This course covers Bioethics from this double perspective: 1) the process of its constitution as a new discipline and the definition of the models of analysis and solving of its problems; 2) a discussion of specific bioethical issues and the various solutions proposed to address them. The focus of the analysis will be the questions of the value and uniqueness of \"human life\", as the reference to them gives unity to Bioethics and the different ways to address them allow us to understand the root of the differences between the various bioethical schools of thought.
Bibliography
- Documentos Internacionais de Bioética: Código de Nuremberga, Belmont Repport, Declaração Universal sobre Bioética e Direitos Humanos.
- Beauchamp, T., Childress, J. (2013). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press.
- CNECV, Pareceres elaborados pelo Conselho Nacional de Ética para as Ciências da Vida. Disponíveis em www.cnecv.gov.pt
- Ferrer, J. J., Álvarez, J. C. (2003). Para fundamentar la Bioética. Teorías y paradigmas teóricos en la bioética contemporânea. Madrid: Universidad Pontificia de Comillas y Editorial Desclée de Brouwer.
- Sgreccia, E. (2009). Manual de Bioética Fundamentos e ética biomédica. Cascais: Principia.
Teaching method
The course will have a double explanatory and hands-on approach. There will be theoretical classes, designed to introduce and frame Bioethics, and other classes more focused on the discussion and analysis of specific bioethical problems. International documents in the field of Bioethics, literature representative of the main schools of thought in Bioethics, and documents from the so called public Bioethics (news pieces, debates, national legislation, etc.) will be discussed. Students will have the opportunity to prepare the discussion of the documents and the problems prior to their treatment in class.
Evaluation method
A written essay (between 15,000 and 18,000 characters, including spaces) on a topic to be agreed between teacher and student at the beginning of the semester (50%).
An exam at the end of the semester (50%)