What is the role of empirical research in bioethical reflection and decision-making? An ethical analysis.

被引:47
作者
Borry P. [1 ]
Schotsmans P. [1 ]
Dierickx K. [1 ]
机构
[1] Center for Biomedical Ethics and Law, K.U. Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35/3, Leuven
关键词
empirical ethics; empirical research; ethical methodology; medical ethics; meta-ethics;
D O I
10.1023/B:MHEP.0000021844.57115.9d
中图分类号
学科分类号
摘要
The field of bioethics is increasingly coming into contact with empirical research findings. In this article, we ask what role empirical research can play in the process of ethical clarification and decision-making. Ethical reflection almost always proceeds in three steps: the description of the moral question, the assessment of the moral question and the evaluation of the decision-making. Empirical research can contribute to each step of this process. In the description of the moral object, first of all, empirical research has a role to play in the description of morally relevant facts. It plays a role in answering the "reality-revealing questions" (what, why, how, who, where and when), in assessing the consequences and in proposing alternative courses of action. Secondly, empirical research plays a role in assessing the moral question. It must be acknowledged that research possesses "the normative power of the factual," which can also become normative by suppressing other norms. However, inductive normativity should always be balanced out by a deductive form of normativity. Thirdly, empirical research also has a role to play in evaluating the decision-making process. It can rule out certain moral choices by pointing out the occurrence of certain unexpected consequences or effects. It can also be useful, however, as a sociology of bioethics in which the discipline of bioethics itself becomes an object of research.
引用
收藏
页码:41 / 53
页数:12
相关论文
共 68 条
  • [1] Adair V.(1996)Donor Insemination Programs with Personal Donors: Issues of Secrecy Human Reproduction 11 2558-2563
  • [2] Purdie A.(1990)Pregnancy Outcome, Health of Children and Family Adjustment of Children after Donor Insemination Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 75 899-905
  • [3] Amuzu B.(1993)Empirical Research in Medical Ethics: An Introduction Theoretical Medicine 14 195-196
  • [4] Arnold R.(1986)Psychological Patterns in Donor Insemination Couples Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 31 818-823
  • [5] Forrow L.(1999)Professional Ethicist Available: Logical, Secular, Friendly Daedalus 128 47-68
  • [6] Berger D.(1993)Children from Anonymous Donors: An Inquiry into Homosexual and Heterosexual Parents Attitudes Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology 14 23-35
  • [7] Bosk C.L.(1996)Review. Donor Insemination: The Impact on Child and Family Development Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology 17 1-17
  • [8] Brewaeys A.(2001)Review: Parent-Child Relationships and Child Development in Donor Inseminations Families Human Reproduction Update 7 38-46
  • [9] Brewaeys A.(1990)Quality of Scholarship in Bioethics Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 15 161-178
  • [10] Brewaeys A.(1993)Assessing Empirical Research in Bioethics Theoretical Medicine 14 211-219