Part VI of Ronald Munson’s Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Bioethics

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A disturbing thought about man’s ethical barometer is that most of the theories, categories and principles emanate from the point of man’s reason. There is a cause to shudder at the thought of man as the absolute authority of what is right and wrong; what is ethical and what is not. Born into a sinful nature, man will ultimately make decisions that will lead to a moral philosophy that is shaky at best. Even philosophers with the best of intentions fall short to God’s model for the order, organization, and meting out of ethical actions. Because of man’s finite vision of what should be done to improve the present situation, mankind will always be found lacking in making the best ethical decisions; not being able to see the long term outcome and the impact those decisions and actions would have on others in the world. In part VI of Ronald Munson’s Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Bioethics, five main ethical theories are explored. The theories and their “truths,” along with their difficulties, will be challenged in accepting them as absolutes. An absolute is an immutable, universal truth about reality; but none of these theories as a whole hold up to be an absolute. They remain ethical theories, not ethical facts. (Absolutes, commandments, guidelines, inferences, and convictions) Nineteenth century British philosophers, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill sum up their theory of Utilitarianism, or the “principle of utility,” which is defined as, “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Munson, 2012, p. 863). This theory’s main focus is to observe the consequences of an action(s), rather than the action itself. The utility, or usef... ... middle of paper ... ...o die, everything is growing farther and farther apart toward a state of decay; and as it goes, so goes hope, so goes man’s faith in what he can see, think, and reason. This is the hard reality that becomes apparent; if ethical action is limited to man’s thought about morals and principles that are, according to man, “absolute”, then man may be the most arrogant and ignorant of God’s creation. References Linstra, R. (n.d.). Absolutes, commandments, guidelines, inferences, and convictions [Video]. Retrieved from http://learn.liberty.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/courseMain?course_id=_56051_1 Morgan, R. J. (1997). Beyond reasonable doubt!. Wheaton, IL: Evangelical Training Association. Munson, R. (2012). Intervention and reflection: basic issues in bioethics (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

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