Principles of Biomedical Ethics

Building on the best-selling tradition of previous editions, Principles of Biomedical Ethics, Sixth Edition, provides a highly original, practical, and insightful guide to morality in the health professions. Acclaimed authors Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress thoroughly develop and advocate for four principles that lie at the core of moral reasoning in health care: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Drawing from contemporary research - and integrating detailed case studies and vivid real-life examples and scenarios - they demonstrate how these prima facie principles can be expanded to apply to various conflicts and dilemmas, from how to deliver bad news to whether or not to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatments. Illuminating both theory and method throughout, Principles of Biomedical Ethics, Sixth Edition, considers what constitutes moral character and addresses the problem of moral status: what rights are due to people and animals, and when. It also examines the professional-patient relationship, surveys major philosophical theories - including utilitarianism, Kantianism, rights theory, and Communitarianism - and describes methods of moral justification in bioethics. Ideal for courses in biomedical ethics, bioethics, and health care ethics, the text is enhanced by hundreds of annotated citations and a substantial introduction that clarifies key terms and concepts.

The new sixth edition of Principles of Biomedical Ethics is a welcome event. There is nothing else like it in the field of bioethics. It has easily become over the years the most used, most praised, and most distinguished book in the field. Each edition moves beyond the previous ones in important and nuanced ways. Beauchamp and Childress keep up with the ever-changing terrain of bioethics, and work hard to refine their own arguments. It gets better and better. One can hardly ask for more. (Daniel Callahan, Director, International Program, The Hastings Center)

What is by far the best general book on bioethics has gotten even better. The new material on international justice and virtue ethics is especially valuable. Such a combination of accessibility and rigor is rarely attained. (Allen Buchanan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy and James B. Duke Professor of Public Policy Studies, Duke University)

This sixth edition of Principles of Biomedical Ethics reaffirms its undisputed stature as a canonical text for the world's bioethicists. It maintains a standard of scholarship and clarity appealing to neophytes and seasoned scholars, to adherents and critics of its principled approach. It culls the new and the old with precision and adds a new chapter on moral status. Anyone hoping to stay current with the continuing evolution of bioethics must read this update. (Edmund D. Pellegrino, Chairman, President's Council on Bioethics)

The contemporary field of bioethics is unimaginable, absent this text. Principles of Biomedical Ethics provided a paradigmatic approach that shaped the early character of bioethics. It continues to be a source of serious debate regarding the nature of morality and the significance of bioethics. No one can understand the field of bioethics apart from this volume. (H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., M.D., Professor, Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine)

Principles of Biomedical Ethics has, over six successive editions, clarified and expanded the concepts, definitions, and arguments that make bioethics a discipline instead of random shards of opinion, sometimes astute, sometimes silly, that pass in the media for ethical commentary on medicine and science. This book is the thesaurus of bioethical discourse. (Albert R. Jonsen, Professor Emeritus, Department of Medical History and Ethics, University of Washington)

The sixth edition of Principles of Biomedical Ethics, which more than any other book has helped to shape the field of biomedical ethics, is even better than the previous five editions. Beauchamp and Childress continue to listen to their critics, of whom I am one, and to change their book accordingly. Although I still have some problems with the theory of principlism, I have nothing but admiration for their comprehensive and detailed discussion of the moral problems that arise in the field of medicine. I plan to use this edition, as I have used previous editions, as one of the primary texts in my course in Philosophy of Medicine. (Bernard Gert, Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Dartmouth College)

Every new edition of this classic gets better and better. This is essential reading for all students and scholars of bioethics. (Bernard Lo, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Director, Program in Medical Ethics, University of California, San Francisco)

Principles of Biomedical Ethics is, and continues to be, a tremendous contribution to the bioethics literature. Whether one agrees or disagrees with [the authors'] approach, it is unquestionable that theirs is the predominant means of addressing ethical dilemmas in healthcare in the United States today. (Deborah Barnbaum, Kent State University)

Principles of Biomedical Ethics has the deserved status of a classic in its field. The authors are excellent role models of ethical reasoning for students to emulate. (Craig Duncan, Ithaca College)

The overall quality of Principles of Biomedical Ethics is outstanding. From it, a careful and interested reader can come away with a thorough, in-depth, and consistent understanding of bioethics. The major strength of the book is its firm grounding in theory. In this respect, it stands head and shoulders above any of its competitors. (Robert Rothman, Rochester Institute of Technology)