Syllabus

BiomedicalEthicsPhil23a
ProfessorEliHirschFall2014
RequiredText:RonaldMunson,ed.,InterventionandReflection:BasicIssuesinMedical
Ethics,9thedition.
AdditionalReadings:SeeextensivebibliographyinMunson.
Courserequirements:
1. (20%)Threeminiquizzes(about10minuteseach),timestobeannounced.
2. (35%)Takehomemidtermexamofabout4pagesonassignedquestions(duedateto
beannounced).
3. (45%)Takehomefinalexamofabout6pagesonassignedquestions(duedatetobe
announced).
4. (Extracredit)Iwillsometimesgiveaquestionattheendofclassforyoutothink
about.Youcanpresentananswertotheclass,anddefendit.Dependingonhowwell
youdo,youwillgetfrom02pointsaddedtoyourfinalaverage.
Reading Assignments

I. Euthanasia.

Preliminaries, 555-584
Ethical Theory Utilitarianism, 863-870
The Quinlan Case, 613-615
Rachels, 585-589
Ethical Theory Natural Law, 885-891
Gay-Williams, 593-596
Ethical Theory Rosss Deontological Theory, 876-881

II. Abortion.

Preliminaries, 432-461
Noonan, 469-472
Marquis, 461-466
Thomson, 472-482

III. Surrogates and Clones.

Preliminaries, 330-373
Ethical Theory Kants Ethics, 870-876

Steinbock, 411-418
Anderson, 418-426
Kass, 401-406
Strong, 406-411

IV. Physicians and Patients.

Preliminaries, 2-53
Ethical Theory Autonomy and Paternalism, 900-904
Lipkin, 73-74
ONell, 53-60
Dworkin, only p. 68.
Hirsch, The Rational Physician (handout)

V. Scarce Medical Resources.

Preliminaries, 620-645
Ethical Theory Rawlss Theory of Justice, 881-885
Ethical Theory Distributive Justice, 897-900
Annas, 662-666
Spital and Erin, 659-662

VI. Distributing Health Care.

Preliminaries, 675-694
Englehart, 702-708

VII. Informed Consent.

Preliminaries, 109-163
Singer, 196-203
Cohen, 203-209

VIII. Genetics.

Preliminaries, 216-281
Davis, 285-294

Office hours: Rabb 331, Tuesday and Friday, 3:00-4:00, or by appointment

Phone: 781-736-2785
Email: hirsch@brandeis.edu
Please Note: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis and need to have
special accommodations for this class, please see me.