Bioetics 1400-218BET
Part I
1. Basic concepts of philosophical ethics; the moral aspects of science.
2. Selected bioethical regulations. Ethical theories: consequentialism.
3. Ethical theories continued: perfectionism and the theory of natural law; theory of duty.
4. Slected argumentative strategies: the priniciple of double effect, slippery slope argument.
5. The concept of the person and personal identity. The argument from potential.
6. The mind-body problem. The moral status of animals.
7. Environmental ethics: anthropocentrism, theocentrism, deep ecology.
Part II
Ethics in biotechnology, GMO, problems of assisted reproduction, cloning, stem cells, the problems of definition of the beginnings of life and of death, genetics and politics, racism, organ transplantations, the limits of genetic interventions, legal regulations in the world and in the EU.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
After completion of the course students know and understand:
1. the characteristic features of ethical regulation and its role in the life sciences;
2. selected philosophical ethical theories and their limitations;
3. main argumentative strategies which are used in bioethical discussions;
4. basic principles of ethical integrity in scientific research and publication of its results.
After completion of the course students can:
1. analyze ethical statements and distinguish their normative assumptions form descriptive assumptions;
2. relying on current biological knowledge and normative theories, justify his/her own opinion concerning selected bioethical questions;
3. assess ethical integrity of a scientific communication or of a research report.
Assessment criteria
Final test.
Bibliography
B. Mepham, Bioetyka. Wprowadzenie dla studentów nauk biologicznych, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 2008
Other reading will be recommended during the course.
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: