生物倫理學

Bioethics asks how we ought to face the ethical dilemmas that arise in our interactions with other human beings, non-human animals, and the environment. This course explores the intersection of ethics, science, and technology, equipping students to think critically about some of today’s most urgent moral questions. Topics include controversies in medicine (such as abortion and assisted dying), biomedical research (such as gene editing and animal testing), and society at large (the death penalty, climate change, and our responsibilities toward future generations). By engaging with these debates, students will learn how to analyze arguments, recognize competing values, and develop their own reasoned positions. The course will also help them appreciate the fact of ethical diversity, while still developing a principled approach to moral reasoning that need not lead to full-blown ethical relativism. The field of bioethics bridges the natural sciences and the humanities, making it highly relevant across disciplines. Whether you are a medical student confronting end-of-life care, an engineer designing biomedical technologies, or simply someone concerned with justice, autonomy, and respect for life, this course offers the tools to navigate ethical challenges with clarity and confidence. Through readings, discussion, and presentations (in English), students will strengthen their ability to debate ethically complex issues, and reason carefully about what we owe to one another - and to the planet.

Basic competence in English; No prior philosophical training is presupposed.

The lectures, supported by PowerPoint slides, will provide students with essential background knowledge on each topic. Following the lecture, students will deliver oral presentations (using visual aids) on the session’s theme, after which a Q&A session will test their understanding of the topic and their critical thinking skills. To encourage deeper analysis, students will then be divided into small discussion groups and assigned a specific question related to the day’s topic. Each group will present their conclusions, after which I will pose follow-up questions to refine their reasoning and encourage further critical engagement. This interactive approach ensures that students actively engage with the subject matter, develop their analytical skills, and learn to defend their positions through discussion and debate.

1. Discussion:Completion of required readings & participation in class discussion (25% of the final grade) 2. Oral presentation (15 minutes long) & Q&A session (15 minutes), in class, on the topic for that week (35%) 3. Mid-term Exam: 2-hour open book exam, to be taken in class (20%) 4. Final Exam:2-hour open book exam, to be taken in class (20%)

Main textbooks: 1. LaFollette, H. (ed.). 2014. Ethics in Practice: An Anthology, 4th edition, Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell (henceforth abbreviated “Ethics in Practice”). 2. Cohen, A. I. & Wellman, C. H, (eds.). 2014. Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics, 2nd edition, Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell (henceforth abbreviated “Contemporary Debates”). Articles: 1. Callahan, D. “A Case Against Euthanasia”. In Contemporary Debates, pp. 82-92. 2. Cohen, C. “The Case for the Use of Animals in Biomedical Research”. In Ethics in Practice, pp. 198-203. 3. Gordon, J.-S. 20? “Bioethics”. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available online: URL = https://iep.utm.edu/bioethics/ [accessed 14/02/2025]. 4. Hourdequin, M. 2010. “Climate, Collective Action & Individual Ethical Obligations”. Environmental Values 19(4), pp. 443-464. 5. Johnson, B. L. 2003. “Ethical Obligations in a Tragedy of the Commons”. Environmental Values 12(3), pp. 271-287. 6. Marquis, D. “An Argument that Abortion is Wrong”. In Ethics in Practice, pp. 141-50. 7. Pojman, L. P. “In Defense of the Death Penalty”. In Ethics in Practice, pp. 494-502. 8. Rachels, J. 2019. "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism". In: Rachels, J. & Rachels, S. (eds.), The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 9th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Education. 9. Regan, T. “Empty Cages: Animal Rights and Vivisection”. In Contemporary Debates, pp. 95-108. 10. Reiman, J. “Against the Death Penalty”. In Ethics in Practice, pp. 503-509. 11. Sandel, M. 2004. “The Case Against Perfection”. The Atlantic, 1 April 2004. URL = https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-case-against-perfection/302927/. 12. Savulescu, J. 2009. “Genetic Enhancement”. In: Kuhse, H. & Singer, P. (eds.), A Companion to Bioethics, 2nd edition, Wiley. 13. Singer, P. 2003. "Voluntary Euthanasia: a Utilitarian Perspective". Bioethics 17(5-6), pp. 526-541. 14. Thomson, J. J. “A Defense of Abortion”. In Ethics in Practice, pp. 124-31.

地點

Room 315, Zhi Xing Bldg

時間

By appointment

聯絡方式

alexerler@nycu.edu.tw