Methods in Bioethics

This volume collects essays by the late bioethicist John D. Arras best known for his many contributions to the methodology of bioethics. Always open-minded Arras did not favor a single theory or view of method in bioethics eschewing labels such as casuist or pragmatist. He was conversant with the main philosophical methods that have dominated bioethics since the field's origin including principlism Gert's common morality the new casuistry pragmatism and others. Rather than defending any particular theory or method though Arras rigorously investigated those methods - and how they both expand and limit our field of vision. He sought in the tradition of Kierkegaard to make life harder for bioethics by uncovering challenges to the field's analytical methods. His favorite mode of exploration and expression was the thoughtful essay. The essays collected here reveal him thinking through new problems and new possibilities and they invariably yield fresh and valuable insights.<br>