Introduction to Bioethics
7- 9 Februrary 2018
Lecturer: Konstantin Schnieder
In this course the PhD students gained both a concise overview about the basics of moral reasoning and the major traditions of ethical theory, as well as applied their insights to some contemporary issues in bioethics. The course proceeded in three steps: Firstly, the PhD students worked out some of the basic features of moral judgments and moral arguments by discussing moral dilemmas. In a second step, major theories (consequentialism, deontology, rights theory, virtue theory) were introduced that have been advanced in the history of normative ethics and still figure prominently in recent discourse. Finally and against this backdrop, some recent topics in bioethics were discussed, e.g.: Is it permissible to use human embryos for purposes of scientific research? Should modern technologies of genome editing be advanced so that they could one day be used for therapeutic germline modification?
Teaching ethics at the Research Training Group was a very enjoyable and inspiring experience. Not only were the students greatly interested, open-minded and eager for controversial discussion as well as careful philosophical analysis. Also, sharing perspectives and knowledge from different disciplinary and cultural backgrounds proved very stimulating and informative for discussing both moral theories and applied problems in bioethics.
