Objective
The purpose of this assignment is for you to discuss your own thoughts and reflections on this module’s content, and those of your peers, in a productive manner.
Instructions
Read
The content for this module.
You are free to do outside research as well (just make sure to use proper citation if you do).
The posts and comments of your peers.
Reflect
In your reading of this material, were there any ethical claims or arguments that stood out to you as unclear, unpersuasive, or even completely wrong? How about profound, deeply insightful, or obviously correct?
If so, reflect on why and try to articulate the reasons behind your reactions.
Critique these reactions: if a claim or argument seemed to you obviously incorrect, try to understand why a smart person would make and defend it; if obviously correct, try to think of good reasons to doubt it.
Compose
Write a response in which you discuss your conclusions and reflections from above and post your work to the discussion board by clicking “reply” below, or underneath the post or comment of a peer.
Make sure to use specific details from the course content in your contributions.
Engage
Keep an eye on this forum and respond to any feedback of your peers in a respectful and thoughtful manner.
You should acknowledge feedback even if you are not going to provide a substantive response.
You may participate in this Discussion by leaving a top-level post or by commenting on the posts or comments of your peers.
Possible Discussion Questions
Although you are free to discuss any issue related to this module’s content, you may instead choose to reflect on one of the following discussion questions and share your ideas and conclusions in the form of a top-level post. These questions may not directly reference the course content, but your answers should be explained with reference to or in contrast with that material.
Do you think that having a systematic, philosophically grounded ethical model would be useful when facing a real-life ethical/moral decision? Why?
Are open-ended philosophical models of ethical thinking more or less useful than the guidance offered by more traditional codes, such as the Hippocratic Oath? Why?
How might studying ethics and morals form a philosophical perspective be helpful in a professional setting, where there are legal and institutional guidelines, policies, and even committees that provide instruction on how to act in many situations? How might it be harmful?
If you had to choose just one, which ethical model discussed in this week’s content would you want to see used for resolving ethically/morally loaded situations in the medical context? Why?
Are any of the ethical models discussed in this week’s content comprehensive, meaning able to provide adequate advice for every type of ethical/moral dilemma? Or are they each lacking in some way?
None of the ethical models discussed in this week’s content can be considered religious in the traditional understanding of that term. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Are non-religious ethics just as good as religious-based ethics, or even better? Why?
Philosophical models of ethical thinking are often explicitly intended to be universal in scope, meaning that they are intended to apply in the same for everyone and in every context. Does this sound like a reasonable goal for an ethical model?
References:
https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/code-medical-ethics-overview
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/hippocratic-oath-today/
https://faculty.tuck.dartmouth.edu/images/uploads/faculty/adam-kleinbaum/introduction_to_ethical_reasoning.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7pnuZod8Cg
