Includes bibliographical references and index

Morality and moral justification -- Morality and ethical theory -- Moral dilemmas -- Method, justification and truth -- Specifying and balancing principles -- Place of principles, common morality -- Types of ethical theory -- Criteria for theory construction -- Utilitarianism: consequence-based theory -- Kantianism: obligation-based theory -- Character ethics: virtue-based theory -- Liberal individualism: rights-based theory -- Communitarianism: community-based theory -- Ethics of care: relationship-based accounts -- Casuistry: case-based reasoning -- Principle-based, common-morality theories -- Convergence across theories -- Respect for autonomy -- Concept of autonomy -- Competence and autonomous choice -- Meaning and justification of informed consent -- Disclosure -- Understanding -- Voluntariness -- Framework of standards for surrogate decisionmaking -- Nonmaleficence -- Concept of nonmaleficence -- Traditional distinctions and rules governing nontreatment -- Optional treatments and obligatory treatments -- Killing and letting die -- Justification of assistance in dying

(cont) Decisionmaking for incompetent patients -- Beneficence -- Concept of beneficence -- Obligatory and ideal beneficence -- Paternalism: conflicts between beneficence and autonomy -- Balancing benefits, costs and risks -- Value and quality of life -- Justice -- Concept of justice -- Theories of justice -- Fair opportunity -- Right to a decent minimum of health care -- Allocation of health care resources -- Rationing through priorities in the health care budget -- Rationing scarce treatments to patients -- Professional-patient relationships -- Veracity -- Privacy -- Confidentiality -- Fidelity -- Dual roles of physician and investigator -- Virtues and ideals in professional life -- Virtues in professional roles -- Four focal virtues -- Conscientiousness -- Moral ideals -- Moral excellence -- Cases in biomedical ethics

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