Pragmatism and Experimental Bioethics

Bibliographic Data

ID21598212
AuthorsHenrik Rydenfelt (0000-0003-3739-4712, University of Helsinki, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume33
Issue2
Pages174-184
Publication date2024-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0963-1801 • E-ISSN: 1469-2147
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0963180123000282
PMID37332165
OpenAlexW4381135493
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited14

Pragmatism gained considerable attention in bioethical discussions in the early 21st century. However, some dimensions and contributions of pragmatism to bioethics remain underexplored in both research and practice. It is argued that pragmatism can make a distinctive contribution to bioethics through its concept, developed by Charles S. Peirce and John Dewey, that ethical issues can be resolved through experimental inquiry. Dewey’s proposal that policies can be confirmed or disconfirmed through experimentation is developed by comparing it to the confirmation of scientific hypotheses, with a focus on the objection that the consequences of following a moral view or policy do not provide guidance on choosing among competing ethical perspectives. As confirmation of scientific hypotheses typically relies on evidence gathered from observation, the possibility of ethically relevant observation is then explored based on Peirce’s views on feelings as emotional interpretants. Finally, the connection between Dewey’s experimental ethics and democracy is outlined and compared to unfettered ethical progressivism

Bioethics · Democracy · Epistemology · Feeling · Political science · Politics · Pragmatism · Progressivism · Sociology · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Ethics in medical practice · Law · Philosophy · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

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