300436 VO Introduction into Bioethics (2009S)

Bioethics is a field of study that concerns the relationship between biology, science, medicine and ethics, philosophy and theology. Bioethics analyze the ethical and moral implications of new biological discoveries and biomedical advances. Special focus will be on environmental ethics, which is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents. This part will cover (1) the challenge of environmental ethics to the anthropocentrism (i.e., human-centeredness) embedded in traditional western ethical thinking; (2) the animal liberation movement (e.g. the Great Ape Project) arguing that the interests of all the sentient beings (i.e., beings who are capable of experiencing pleasure or pain) -- including nonhuman ones -- should be taken into consideration; (3) cost-benefit analysis and environmental policy, sustainability and the growth of human population.
The aim of the course is (1) to provide information that is crucial for any qualified discussion of the above-mentioned topics and (2) training in critical thinking that bioethics imparts. You learn how to think rigorously and assess the strengths of arguments for and against the different views you encounter. This is a skill that has incalculable benefits and that carries across into all areas of life.