The core concepts of the f̀our principles' of bioethics as found in Islamic tradition

The core concepts of the f̀our principles' of bioethics as found in Islamic tradition

Aksoy, Sahin
Elmali, Abdurrahman

2002/00/00

English

20020000

Ethics can be described as a sub-branch of applied philosophy that seeks ẁhat is the right and the wrong, the good and the bad set of behaviours in a given circumstance'. Bioethics, however, is a quasi-social science that offers solutions to the moral conflicts arising in medical and biological science practice. There have been different ethical approaches to the issues in the history of philosophy. Two American philosophers, Beauchamp and Childress, formulated some ethical principles namely r̀espect to autonomy', j̀ustice', b̀eneficence' and ǹon-maleficence'. These F̀our Principles' which have almost always existed and govern the ethical behaviour of human societies, were presented by the authors as universal and applicable to any culture and society. These F̀our Principles' have been one of the most widely discussed issues in Biomedical Ethics with arguments for and against them. The authors' claim has been tested by research conducted in different cultures and societies. In this study we aim to explore the roots of the F̀our Principles' in Islamic tradition and culture, and show that this particular set of principles are not something new but only one of the latest formulations of age-old common sense principles. It is therefore concluded that these principles are already being applied in Islamic traditional and cultural societies.

2.1

2.1;1.2

autonomy--[pri];beneficence--[pri];bioethics--[pri];Islamic ethics--[pri];justice--[pri];principle-based ethics--[pri]

Muslim world;philosophy;theology

Medicine and Law: World Association for Medical Law 2002; 21(2): 211-224

29

ja

journal

25 fn.