Level 53
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Ethics and Moral Philosophy

Applied Ethics: Bioethics and Environmental Ethics

The extension of moral theory to concrete dilemmas in medicine, technology, and humanity's relationship to the natural world, from the founding principles of biomedical ethics to the emerging challenges of climate change and artificial intelligence.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. Principles of Biomedical Ethics: Autonomy, Beneficence, Justice. Beauchamp and Childress's four principles gave biomedical ethics a shared, practical framework.
  2. Debates on Euthanasia and the Right to Die. Legal and philosophical debate distinguishes active, passive, voluntary, and assisted forms of dying.
  3. Reproductive Ethics: Abortion and Genetic Enhancement. Personhood, bodily autonomy, and genetic enhancement structure the central debates in reproductive ethics.
  4. Animal Ethics: Singer, Regan, and the Question of Moral Status. Singer's utilitarian and Regan's rights-based arguments both extend serious moral status to animals.
  5. Land Ethic and Aldo Leopold's Ecological Holism. Leopold's land ethic extends moral community to soils, waters, plants, and animals collectively.
  6. Deep Ecology and Intrinsic Value in Nature. Naess's deep ecology asserts nature's intrinsic worth independent of any human use or interest.
  7. Climate Ethics and Intergenerational Justice. Climate ethics confronts unequal emissions, future generations, and the demands of intergenerational fairness.
  8. Ethics of Emerging Technologies: AI and Biotechnology. AI and biotechnology raise new questions of moral status, fairness, safety, and long-term risk.

This module continues after "Metaethics: Realism, Relativism, and Expressivism" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1Principles of Biomedical Ethics: Autonomy, Beneficence, Justice
2Reproductive Ethics: Abortion and Genetic Enhancement
3Land Ethic and Aldo Leopold's Ecological Holism
4Deep Ecology and Intrinsic Value in Nature
5Ethics of Emerging Technologies: AI and Biotechnology

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

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Final test

You need to review all key points to unlock the final test.

Optional mini-games

Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.

Review Flashcards

Review each key point with cards that flip to reveal the summary.

Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Beauchamp, T.L. and Childress, J.F. (2019). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (8th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Singer, P. (1975). Animal Liberation. New York: HarperCollins.
  • Regan, T. (1983). The Case for Animal Rights. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Leopold, A. (1949). A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Naess, A. (1973). "The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement: A Summary." Inquiry, 16(1), 95-100.
  • Bostrom, N. (2014). Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.