Phil 212R Medical Ethics

Angela Faulconer

Do you have a body? Do the people you love have bodies? Then you are someone who will inevitably face questions at some of the key junctures of life: birth, reproduction, and death. If you live in society with others (and we all do), then you may have questions about what should be legal and what is moral for others to do with their bodies, and what is moral for you to do if you disagree with them or think they aren’t competent to decide. If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you may want to learn more about why the Church opposes physician-assisted suicide, surrogate motherhood, and egg and sperm donation. If you lived through the pandemic, you may be interested in questions about rationing and how we should allocate scarce medical resources. Finally, it’s critical that we think about the coming questions about gene editing and genetic enhancement. Medical Ethics is applicable to everyone! Take this course to think through these controversial topics in a rigorous way. Expect a heavily participatory class. You should be prepared to share your thoughts and questions every class period. A great elective! Also fills the Core Topics in Western Philosophy requirement