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Anthropology and Bioethics
Author(s) -
Marshall Patricia A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
medical anthropology quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.855
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1548-1387
pISSN - 0745-5194
DOI - 10.1525/maq.1992.6.1.02a00040
Subject(s) - bioethics , sociology , casuistry , framing (construction) , epistemology , utilitarianism , philosophical anthropology , field (mathematics) , reductionism , applied ethics , environmental ethics , philosophy , political science , law , mathematics , structural engineering , pure mathematics , engineering
The field of bioethics has been dominated by the tenets and assumptions of Western philosophical rationalistic thought. A principles and rights‐based approach to discussions of moral dilemmas has sustained and reinforced a pervasive reductionism, utilitarianism, and ethnocentrism in the field. Recent explorations of casuistry and hermeneutics suggest a movement toward an expanded theoretical and conceptual framing of medical ethical problems. Increased attention to moral phenomenology and a recognition of the importance of social, cultural, and historical determinants that shape moral questioning should facilitate collaborative work between anthropologists and ethicists. In this article, I examine the philosophical orientation of U.S. bioethics and the relationship of the social sciences to the field of medical ethics. Deterrents to collaboration between anthropologists and bioethicists are explored. Finally, I review past and possible future contributions of anthropology to the field of bioethics and, more generally, to medical ethics.