Levinson, Ralph; Reiss, Michael J; (2003) Issues and scenarios. In: Levinson, Ralph and Reiss, Michael, (eds.) Key Issues in Bioethics: A Guide for Teachers. (pp. 3-13). Routledge: London, UK.

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Abstract

Ethics is a specific discipline which tries to probe the reasoning behind our moral life, particularly by critically examining and analysing the thinking which is or could be used to justify our moral choices and actions in particular situations. Ethics is a branch of knowledge just as other intellectual disciplines. Traditionally, the ethical frameworks most widely accepted in most cultures arose within systems of religious belief. The tradition of ethical reasoning in this field is nothing like as long established as, for example, the traditions surrounding such age-old questions as war, capital punishment and freedom of speech. The major alternative to utilitarianism is a form of ethical thinking in which certain actions are considered right and others wrong in themselves, intrinsically, regardless of the consequences. The safest conclusion is that it is best to look both at the consequences of any proposed course of action and at any relevant intrinsic considerations before reaching an ethical conclusion.

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