Bioetics for Biologists

Part I

1. Basic concepts of philosophical ethics; the moral aspects of science.

2. Selected bioethical regulations. Ethical theories: consequentialism.

3. Ethical theories continued: perfectionism and the theory of natural law; theory of duty.

4. Slected argumentative strategies: the priniciple of double effect, slippery slope argument.

5. The concept of the person and personal identity. The argument from potential.

6. The mind-body problem. The moral status of animals.

7. Environmental ethics: anthropocentrism, theocentrism, deep ecology.

Part II

Ethics in biotechnology, GMO, problems of assisted reproduction, cloning, stem cells, the problems of definition of the beginnings of life and of death, genetics and politics, racism, organ transplantations, the limits of genetic interventions, legal regulations in the world and in the EU.

After completion of the course students know and understand:

1. the characteristic features of ethical regulation and its role in the life sciences;

2. selected philosophical ethical theories and their limitations;

3. main argumentative strategies which are used in bioethical discussions;

4. basic principles of ethical integrity in scientific research and publication of its results.

After completion of the course students can:

1. analyze ethical statements and distinguish their normative assumptions form descriptive assumptions;

2. relying oncurrent biological knowledge and of normative theories, justify his/her own opinion concerning selected bioethical questions;

3. assess ethical integrity of a scientific communication or of a research report.