Ethical Issues of Decision-Making Processes in Biomedicine

A.Y. 2024/2025
6
Max ECTS
40
Overall hours
SSD
M-FIL/02
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The aim of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the discipline of bioethics - starting from a brief reconstruction of the different narratives regarding its origin, scope, epistemological status, and intended purposes - necessary to pave the way for understanding and learning the core content of the course.
This is constituted by the two following modules: i) clinical ethics and ii) research ethics.
In the Clinical Ethics module the following issues will be explained and properly discussed: models of patient-physician relationship; methodologies for addressing moral dilemmas and ethical disagreement occurring in the clinical setting; clinical ethics consultation and moral case deliberation; clinical ethics committees; telling the truth to patients.
In the Research Ethics module the following issues will be explained and properly discussed: human-subject research and its ethical tenets (informed consent; principle of clinical equipoise); ethical principles as well as biding and nonbinding regulations regulating human-subject research; conventional and unconventional research; therapeutic research vs. non therapeutic research.
Expected learning outcomes
By following this course, students will gain both substantive knowledge in bioethics and reasoning skills.
In particular, as to the former, students will acquire some basic knowledge with respect to the origin, scope, epistemological status, and intended purposes of the discipline of bioethics; the distinction between moral dilemmas and ethical disagreements; fundamental bioethics approaches (teleological, deontological, and mixed-method approaches); the definition, scope, main issues of clinical ethics and research ethics.
As to the latter, students will be able to exercise critical thinking and critical reasoning with respect to bioethics issues; learn to provide justifications for their positions; learn to distinguish between a consistent and an inconsistent moral reasoning.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Course syllabus
1. Ethos and ethics, morality and moral experience, 'innate' morality for neuroscience;
2. History and status of bioethics;
3. Deontologism, Teleologism, Virtue Ethics, Principialism and their variants;
4. Conflicts, moral dilemmas and moral disagreements;
5. Teleologism, Deontologism, Virtue Ethics;
6. Liberalism and principialism;
7. Ethical non-cognitivism;
8. Introduction to logic; argumentation verification criteria and argumentative fallacies;
9. Analysis of case studies;
10. Ethical decision-making proces.
Prerequisites for admission
No specific prior knowledge is required.
Teaching methods
The course will be delivered through lectures supported by texts. For some specific topics, exercises in the form of debates will be provided.
Teaching Resources
Attending:
M. Reichlin, Fondamenti di bioetica, il Mulino, Bologna 2021.
Other materials such as articles, book chapters and/or monographs for further study will be suggested during the course.

Non-attenders:
M. Reichlin, Fondamenti di bioetica, il Mulino, Bologna 2021; O. Sibony, Stai per commettere un terribile errore! Come evitare le trappole del pensiero, Raffaello Cortina, Milano2019.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination will consist of a written test (with open questions) or oral. The assessment will take into account the candidate's mastery of the contents and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical property, as well as his or her argumentative ability in relation to the topics of the teaching.
M-FIL/02 - LOGIC AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours