PHI 213: Medical and Bio-Ethics

SYLLABUS:

• PHI 213: MEDICAL AND BIO-ETHICS (FALL 2025) -- Available in the Fall.

PRESENTATION SCHEDULE:

• PHI 213, SPRING 2025 MW 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. (Section XXXXX) -- Available in the Fall.

COURSE MATERIAL:

• Lecture 1: Introduction to Philosophy, Biomedical Ethics, Nihilism, Relativism, & Objectivism, and Law, Religion, and Ethics

• Lecture 2: Immanuel Kant's Ethical Theory

• Lecture 3: Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism

• Lecture 4: The Hippocratic Oath, AMA Fundamental Patient-Physician Relationship Elements, and the Nurses' Code of Ethics

• The text of the Hippocratic Oath

• Lecture 5: Moral Principles of Biomedical Ethics

• Lecture 5 Supplement: Fallacies

• Code Gray Documentary: Moral Principles in Nursing and Healthcare

ARTICLE SUMMARY GUIDELINES:

• PHI 213 Article Summary Guidelines

• This is a template of how to write the first Article Summary for Ackerman

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES:

• General Guidelines on the Elements of a Presentation for PHI 213

• PHI 213, Example of Presentation Notes: Ackerman's article, "Why Doctors Should Intervene."

PAPER ASSIGNMENTS (and Abbreviation Guide for Grading):

• First Paper Assignment -- Available when Dr. Y announces in class.

• Second Paper Assignment -- Available when Dr. Y announces in class.

• Third Paper Assignment -- Available when Dr. Y announces in class.

• Grading Legend -- Explanations for the abbreviations on your graded papers.

ADVICE ON WRITING PAPERS:

• Writing Philosophy 213 Papers

• Dr. Y's Good Paper Sample

• Dr. Y's Bad Paper Sample

• Paper Template for the 2nd and 3rd Papers

• How to cite pages and columns in your papers

• Dr. Y's Grammar Corner

• Dr. Y's Example of a Poor Introduction to your Paper (and why it is poor)

OPTIONAL COURSE MATERIAL (only look at and/or print this stuff if you're interested in it):

• Why Philosophy is Valuable, Getting a Career in Philosophy, Philosophy Major Salaries, and otherwise Intelligent People Who Bash (or Have Bashed) Philosophy and/or Philosophers

• Dr. Y's "The Importance of Philosophy: Why does philosophy matter? Why bother with it?"

• Dr. Y's List of Fallacies -- A whole bunch of fallacies: Don't commit these and point them out when others do!

• Normative Ethics Diagram (Thumbnail sketch of different major ways of approaching ethics)

• Some Objections Against Nihilism

• Immanuel Kant: "On a Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives" -- Kant says do not lie to a murderer at the door

• Immanuel Kant in The Principles of Public Right is in favor of the Death Penalty

• Act Utilitarianism versus Rule Utilitarianism -- Definitions of and examples of each ethical theory

• Kant's Ethical Theory versus Mill's Ethical Theory -- Considerations for and against each view

• Causes of Death interactive chart

• Dax Cowart Story on 20/20 [on YouTube] -- More information about one of our authors we are reading.

• Most Evil Experiments in the History of Mankind

• Psychology Experiment - The Monster Study (One Of The Most Unethical Studies Ever Conducted)

• Abortion: Introduction to the Issue

• A chart relevant to abortion that shows different phases of pregnancy and where to draw the line on the abortion issue.

• Abortion Debate Stances

• A map of abortion laws before the Roe v. Wade decision

• A chart explaining the Roe v. Wade decision

• Roe v. Wade decision: Dr. Y's notes on Justice White's Dissent

• The End of Roe v. Wade: A Briefing from Lewis Vaughn, Doing Ethics, 6/e

• The Supreme Court's Dobbs decision on abortion

• Interactive State Map of Abortion Laws

• Interactive State Map of Abortion Laws (with Waiting Periods and Exceptions)

• A Guide to Thomson's Abortion Analogies

• Dr. Y's short paper: "Consistency and the Conservative Abortion Position"

• Genetic Engineering and Cloning Debate Stances

• Oregon's Death With Dignity Act and Related Info

• Euthanasia Debate Stances

• Where Assisted Death is Legal in the US and the World (as of May 2025)

• Steven Brill's "Bitter Pill" (Time Magazine's Special Report on Health Care)

• "Medicare for All" saves money (according to 22 studies)

• A Link to a Whole Bunch of Other Bio-Medical Links!

• David H. Freedman's "Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science" -- Amazing paper on a study of lots of important medical studies, that shows that they were not done well, statistics- or method-wise! Very important if you're going to do biomedical research!

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Biological Questions - The Vatican's (Catholic Church's) Pronouncements and Arguments on Certain Biological Questions (June 2008)

• Why Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Spread Exponentially, and How to "Flatten the Curve"

• Video Shows Discharged Patient On Street In Only A Hospital Gown

• Dr. Daniel Kraft - The Future of Health Care - Ted Talk

• SNL Sketch (humor) – A “Pulling the Plug” Scenario

• Optional Extra Credit Assignments -- Available when Dr. Y announces in class.