Philosophy 164 - Medical Ethics

Fall
2018
07
4.00
Keehyuk Nahm
TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
UMass Amherst
78183
Kennedy House
knahm@umass.edu
A survey of some philosophical topics in medical ethics, focusing on questions about (if ever) when medicine should be used to end life, and when it should be used to improve quality of life. (Gen.Ed. AT)
Open to RAP students in Perspectives in Health Topics in Kennedy Hall PHIL 164-07
See http://www.umass.edu/rap/perspectives-health-topics-rap

Political discourse right now is as contentious as anyone living in America can remember. People are often lining up on opposite sides of moral issues and refusing to dialogue with one another. This course will provide an opportunity to step outside of that environment, creating a space where we can carefully examine all sides (often more than two of them!) of important ethical issues that have direct implications for medical practice and political legislation. We will create a safe and respectful environment for fruitful discussion, where we can really consider multiple points of view and try to get to solid truth on hard questions like:

(1) Is it okay to end a person's life if they ask you to? If they're in pain? If they're dying anyways?

(2) Is a fetus a person? If so, could it ever be okay to kill it? If not, could it ever be wrong to kill it?

(3) Is there a right to medical care? Will the answer be different in consideration for different groups of people?

(4) What are the best norms for practicing medicine? Should we favor Evidence Based Medicine over Personalized Medicine? Should we always respect patients' wishes, or are we allowed to do what's best for them sometimes when they don't agree to it?
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.