Abstract
To explore the question of what constitutes “good bioethics,” the author begins by examining the criteria established by Hofmann and Magelssen for argumentative, empirical, and dialectic approaches. This leads to a meta-ethical definition of good bioethics that emphasises the importance of genuine communication and consideration of future generations. The author then introduces the transcendental bioethics of displacement, which focuses on energy and the psyche. By examining the relationship between energy and displacement, we can better understand the experiences of individuals with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and advanced Alzheimer's dementia. Ultimately, we see how these concepts complement and expand upon one another, providing a more comprehensive understanding of what constitutes “good bioethics.”
TopWhat Is Good Bioethics?
What is good bioethics? Hardly would we be able to go further in bioethics without this question. The bioethicists would turn into a melee of tabloid mud queens otherwise. Obviously it is not going to be so easy like writing a definition and ending this section. To start with, it’s not proven that among bioethicists there is a greater ratio of supportive and upright individuals than there are among the Kolkata rickshaw riders or among the seafarers around the world. We are more self-inquisitive when talking about our own profession because we’ve more chances to do so, but it’s a bias.
On this topic, Bjørn Hofmann and Morten Magelssen analysed the criteria for good bioethics and established three categories: argumentative, empirical, and dialectic (plus a healthy debate in order the categories don’t get petrified like a dinosaur footprint) (Hofmann & Magelssen, 2018).
It leads us back again to the Table 1 where Darryl Macer and Joseph Fletcher’s respective classifications are now expanded with the Hofmann and Magelssen ones and complemented, in turn, by the bioethics of displacement:
Table 1. Views of bioethics, ethical decision-making approaches and quality criteria categories
| Main Views of Bioethics | Ethical Decision-Making Approaches | Category of Bioethics Quality Criteria |
| Prescriptive | Legalist | Argumentative |
| Descriptive | Antinomian | Dialectic |
| Interactive | Situationist | Empirical |
| Prospective | Relativist | Communicational |
Key Terms in this Chapter
Ethical Frameworks: Guidance or direction for making ethical decisions that don't provide specific answers for each situation.
Energy: In Bioethics of Displacement is whatever causes changes in one's sense of belonging and self-meaning.
Meta-Ethics: The study of the nature of ethics and moral language, exploring what morality is rather than prescribing right and wrong actions.
Decision-Making: The process of selecting a course of action or choosing from available alternatives based on evaluation, reasoning, and judgment.
Good Bioethics: Persistent pursuit of progress through genuine, open, and well-grounded personal communication that considers the interests of future generations.
Ethics: The exploration of what is morally right or wrong and how we should behave towards others and nature.
Belonging: The state or feeling of being connected, accepted, or included within a group, society, or environment.
Force: In Bioethics of Displacement, is what determines if a displacement will start to happen.
Transcendental: Supernatural or beyond ordinary human experience, often associated with spirituality or metaphysics.