Chapter 10 Reading Goals

  • Be able to explain what method and justification are in ethical thought and the connections between them.
  • Know the models for method and justification presented by Beauchamp and Childress, including the model they use in their work.
  • Understand and define the terms reflective equilibrium and common morality, and be able to explain how Beauchamp and Childress appeal to these ideas for their ethical thinking.
  • Be able to discuss the notions of weighing, balancing, and specification in ethics; be able to discuss how ethical thinkers move between principles, virtues, rules, and ethical cases in order to make ethical arguments and judgments.
  • Reflect upon Beauchamp and Childress’s discussion of problems with their ethical method; make judgments about whether these problems are insurmountable and whether they indicate that another method is more appropriate in the field of bioethics, or whether the method presented by Beauchamp and Childress is still most appropriate despite these problems.
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