Principles of Biomedical Ethics

About the Book

Principles of Biomedical Ethics, eighth edition, provides a highly original, practical, and insightful guide to morality in the health professions. Acclaimed authors Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress thoroughly develop and advocate for four principles that lie at the core of moral reasoning in health care: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice.Drawing from contemporary research, and integrating detailed case studies and vivid real-life examples and scenarios, they demonstrate how these prima facie principles can be expanded to apply to various conflicts and dilemmas. Ideal for courses in biomedical ethics, bioethics, and health care ethics, the text is enhanced by hundreds of annotated citations and a substantial introduction that clarifies key terms and concepts.NEW TO THIS EDITIONEvery chapter is revised to sharpen arguments, address recent issues raised by critics, and discuss and assess new published materialIncludes an expanded presentation in Chapter 4, 'Respect for Autonomy' on informed consentExpanded discussions of nontreatment, uses of the best-interest standard, quality of life decisions involving newborns and children, and physician-assisted dying included in Chapter 5, 'nonmaleficence'Features additional coverage of theories of justice, problems of health insurance coverage, and the right to health care in Chapter 7, 'Justice'Expanded sections on Veracity and Confidentiality, including the addition of new cases, in Chapter 8, 'Professional-Patient Relationships'Chapter 9, 'Moral Theories' includes expanded sections on Virtue Theory and Rights TheoryExpanded critiques of the theories of justification in Chapter 10, 'Method and Moral Justification'.This title is available as an eBook. Visit VitalSource for more information or to purchase.

Table of Contents:
PART I: MORAL FOUNDATIONS1. Moral Norms2. Moral Character3. Moral StatusPART 2: MORAL PRINCIPLES4. Respect for Autonomy5. Nonmaleficence6. Beneficence7. Justice8. Professional-Patient RelationshipsPART 3: THEORY AND METHOD9. Moral Theories10. Method and Moral JustificationIndex

About the Author :
Tom L. Beauchamp is Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. James F. Childress is University Professor & John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics at the University of Virginia.

Review :
What is by far the best general book on bioethics has gotten even better. Such a combination of accessibility and rigor is rarely attained. With each successive edition, this outstanding book gets even better. How many books can be said to have shaped a field of study for decades, and to have helped institutionalize that field around the world? It is hard to imagine what bioethics would be like without Principles of Biomedical Ethics. In this excellent revision of their classic work, Beauchamp and Childress deepen their account of common morality and the four clusters of moral principles. Successfully responding to earlier criticisms, the authors provide an illuminating analysis of moral philosophy, in addition to bioethics. This book is a must-read for beginners in the field as well as for more advanced scholars. The Bible of bioethics. Everyone working in the field should have a copy. Over twenty-five years I have come to realize that these are the four principles of practical ethics. In every analysis, I find myself drawn to using them. Hard to believe, but true. As each time before, this new (now, eighth) edition of the Principles provides considerable benefits over its predecessors: highest quality for newcomers to bioethics; innovative thought for experts; and new material and revision of previous material. What an intellectual achievement! Principles of Biomedical Ethics is one of the enduring and indispensable contributions to bioethics. It is always a valuable source of information and insight for those of us who are veterans in the field, and even more so for those new to the field in the classroom. Its regular updating is itself of great value, catching new issues that appear. Over the past forty years Beauchamp and Childress's Principles of Biomedical Ethics has become synonymous with bioethics. This venerable text has only gotten better with age. Beauchamp and Childress are to be congratulated for their historic contributions and the exemplary eighth edition, which deserves a place on the shelf of every bioethicist's library. Principles of Biomedical Ethics is a standard in the field, and for good reason. With each edition, Beauchamp and Childress focus on not only updating the examples and cases to represent the state of the discipline, but also on refining their arguments and views. I would rate this book overall as excellent. It's a rare work that is both scholarly and rigorous but also useful as a teaching instrument. The authors' writing is clear and engaging. I looked long and hard to identify a textbook for the ethics course I teach. I think I have reviewed most of what is available. By far this textbook is the best. The overall quality is exceptional. This classic work has many strengths, not least of which is its comprehensive introductory material on moral foundations; this introduction is one of the strongest introductions to morality of any text (in biomedical ethics and otherwise) I've used.