Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 9e
9th Edition
Published on 2. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-0-19-783263-9 (ISBN)
Description
The classic work that has shaped the field of biomedical ethics, fully updated to include cutting-edge approaches and research. Principles of Biomedical Ethics provides a highly original, insightful, and practical guide to morality in the health professions, health policy, and public health. Acclaimed authors Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress thoroughly develop and advocate for four principles that lie at the core of moral reasoning in health care: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Drawing from contemporary research - and integrating detailed case studies and vivid real-life examples and scenarios - they demonstrate how these prima facie principles can be used to address various conflicts and dilemmas, from how to deliver bad news to the decision to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatments.
Ideal for courses in biomedical ethics, bioethics, and health care ethics, the text is enhanced by hundreds of annotated citations, along with key terms and concepts. It is accompanied by additional online resources for instructors.
Ideal for courses in biomedical ethics, bioethics, and health care ethics, the text is enhanced by hundreds of annotated citations, along with key terms and concepts. It is accompanied by additional online resources for instructors.
Reviews / Votes
Such a combination of accessibility and rigor is rarely attained. With each successive edition, this outstanding book gets even better." - Allen Buchanan, Duke University and Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College, London How many books can be said to have shaped a field of study for decades, and to have helped institutionalize that field around the world? It is hard to imagine what bioethics would be like without Principles of Biomedical Ethics." - Jonathan Moreno, University of Pennsylvania This book is a must-read for beginners in the field as well as for more advanced scholars." - Ruth Macklin, Albert Einstein College of Medicine The Bible of bioethics. Everyone working in the field should have a copy. Over twenty-five years I have come to realize that these are the four principles of practical ethics. In every analysis, I find myself drawn to using them." - Julian Savulescu, University of Oxford Principles of Biomedical Ethics is one of the enduring and indispensable contributions to bioethics. It is always a valuable source of information and insight for those of us who are veterans in the field, and even more so for those new to the field in the classroom. Its regular updating is itself of great value, catching new issues that appear." - Daniel Callahan, Co-founder of The Hastings Center Over the past forty years Beauchamp and Childress's Principles of Biomedical Ethics has become synonymous with bioethics. This venerable text has only gotten better with age." - Joseph Fins, Weill Cornell Medicine and Yale Law School Principles of Biomedical Ethics is a standard in the field, and for good reason. With each edition, Beauchamp and Childress focus on not only updating the examples and cases to represent the state of the discipline, but also on refining their arguments and views." - Tracie Mahaffey, Florida State University I would rate this book overall as excellent. It's a rare work that is both scholarly and rigorous but also useful as a teaching instrument. The authors' writing is clear and engaging." - Kayhan Parsi, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine I looked long and hard to identify a textbook for the ethics course I teach. I think I have reviewed most of what is available. By far this textbook is the best." - Barbara D'Anna, SUNY Delhi The overall quality is exceptional. This classic work has many strengths, not least of which is its comprehensive introductory material on moral foundations; this introduction is one of the strongest introductions to morality of any text (in biomedical ethics and otherwise) I've used." - David Paul, Western Michigan UniversityMore details
Edition
9th Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Edition type
Revised edition
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
853 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-783263-9 (9780197832639)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Tom L. Beauchamp (d. 2025) was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar Emeritus, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. He took graduate degrees from Yale University and Johns Hopkins University, where he received his PhD in 1970.
James F. Childress is Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, where he was the John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics, Professor of Religious Studies, Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Research in Medical Education in the School of Medicine.
James F. Childress is Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, where he was the John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics, Professor of Religious Studies, Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Research in Medical Education in the School of Medicine.
Content
- PART I MORAL FOUNDATIONS
- 1. Moral Norms
- 1.1 Normative and Nonnormative Ethics
- 1.2 The Common Morality as Universal Morality
- 1.3 Particular Moralities as Nonuniversal
- 1.4 Moral Dilemmas
- 1.5 A Framework of Moral Principles
- 1.6 Conflicting Moral Norms
- 1.7 Conclusion
- 2. Moral Character
- 2.1 The Concept of Moral Virtue
- 2.2 Virtues in Professional Roles
- 2.3 The Central Virtue of Care/Caring
- 2.4 Five Focal Virtues
- 2.5 Moral Ideals
- 2.6 Moral Excellence
- 2.7 Conclusion
- 3. Moral Status
- 3.1 The Problem of Moral Status
- 3.2 Theories of Moral Status
- 3.3 From Theories to Practical Guidelines
- 3.4 The Moral Significance of Moral Status
- 3.5 Vulnerable Populations and Vulnerable Individuals
- 3.6 Conclusion
- PART II MORAL PRINCIPLES
- 4. Respect for Autonomy
- 4.1 The Concept of Autonomy and the Principle of Respect for Autonomy
- 4.2 The Capacity for Autonomous Choice
- 4.3 The Meaning and Justification of Informed Consent
- 4.4 Disclosure
- 4.5 Understanding
- 4.6 Voluntariness
- 4.7 Public Health Interventions and Respect for Autonomy
- 4.8 Surrogate Decision Making for Nonautonomous Patients
- 4.9 Conclusion
- 5. Nonmaleficence
- 5.1 The Concept and Principle of Nonmaleficence
- 5.2 Distinctions and Rules Governing Nontreatment Decisions
- 5.3 Optional Treatments and Obligatory Treatments
- 5.4 Killing and Letting Die
- 5.5 Intentionally Arranged Deaths: When, If Ever, Are They Justified?
- 5.6 Protecting Decisionally Incapacitated Patients from Harm
- 5.7 Whose Risks and Whose Benefits? Problems of Underprotection and Overprotection in Research
- 5.8 Conclusion
- 6. Beneficence
- 6.1 The Concept of Beneficence and Principles of Beneficence
- 6.2 Obligatory Beneficence and Ideal Beneficence
- 6.3 Paternalism: Conflicts between Beneficence and Respect for Autonomy
- 6.4 Public Health: Goals and Interventions
- 6.5 Balancing Benefits, Costs, and Risks
- 6.6 The Value and Quality of Life
- 6.7 Conclusion
- 7. Justice
- 7.1 The Concept of Justice and Principles of Justice
- 7.2 Traditional Theories of Justice
- 7.3 Two Theories Closely Connected to the Value of Health
- 7.4 Fair Opportunity and Unfair Discrimination
- 7.5 Vulnerability, Exploitation, and Discrimination in Research
- 7.6 National Health Policy and the Right to Health Care
- 7.7 Global Health Policy and the Right to Health
- 7.8 Allocating, Setting Priorities, and Rationing
- 7.9 Conclusion
- 8. Rules, Roles, and Relationships
- 8.1 Veracity
- 8.2 Privacy
- 8.3 Confidentiality
- 8.4 Fidelity
- 8.5 The Distinction between Clinical Ethics and Research Ethics
- 8.6 Conclusion
- PART III THEORY AND METHOD
- 9. Moral Theories
- 9.1 Criteria for Assessing Moral Theories
- 9.2 Utilitarian Theory
- 9.3 Kantian Theory
- 9.4 Rights Theory
- 9.5 Virtue Theory
- 9.6 The Convergence of Theories on Principles
- 9.7 Conclusion
- 10. Method and Moral Justification
- 10.1 Justification in Ethics
- 10.2 Top-Down Model: Theory and Application
- 10.3 Bottom-Up Model: Cases and Analogical Reasoning
- 10.4 An Integrated Model: Reflective Equilibrium
- 10.5 Common-Morality Theory
- 10.6 Conclusion
- Index
- 1. Moral Norms
- 1.1 Normative and Nonnormative Ethics
- 1.2 The Common Morality as Universal Morality
- 1.3 Particular Moralities as Nonuniversal
- 1.4 Moral Dilemmas
- 1.5 A Framework of Moral Principles
- 1.6 Conflicting Moral Norms
- 1.7 Conclusion
- 2. Moral Character
- 2.1 The Concept of Moral Virtue
- 2.2 Virtues in Professional Roles
- 2.3 The Central Virtue of Care/Caring
- 2.4 Five Focal Virtues
- 2.5 Moral Ideals
- 2.6 Moral Excellence
- 2.7 Conclusion
- 3. Moral Status
- 3.1 The Problem of Moral Status
- 3.2 Theories of Moral Status
- 3.3 From Theories to Practical Guidelines
- 3.4 The Moral Significance of Moral Status
- 3.5 Vulnerable Populations and Vulnerable Individuals
- 3.6 Conclusion
- PART II MORAL PRINCIPLES
- 4. Respect for Autonomy
- 4.1 The Concept of Autonomy and the Principle of Respect for Autonomy
- 4.2 The Capacity for Autonomous Choice
- 4.3 The Meaning and Justification of Informed Consent
- 4.4 Disclosure
- 4.5 Understanding
- 4.6 Voluntariness
- 4.7 Public Health Interventions and Respect for Autonomy
- 4.8 Surrogate Decision Making for Nonautonomous Patients
- 4.9 Conclusion
- 5. Nonmaleficence
- 5.1 The Concept and Principle of Nonmaleficence
- 5.2 Distinctions and Rules Governing Nontreatment Decisions
- 5.3 Optional Treatments and Obligatory Treatments
- 5.4 Killing and Letting Die
- 5.5 Intentionally Arranged Deaths: When, If Ever, Are They Justified?
- 5.6 Protecting Decisionally Incapacitated Patients from Harm
- 5.7 Whose Risks and Whose Benefits? Problems of Underprotection and Overprotection in Research
- 5.8 Conclusion
- 6. Beneficence
- 6.1 The Concept of Beneficence and Principles of Beneficence
- 6.2 Obligatory Beneficence and Ideal Beneficence
- 6.3 Paternalism: Conflicts between Beneficence and Respect for Autonomy
- 6.4 Public Health: Goals and Interventions
- 6.5 Balancing Benefits, Costs, and Risks
- 6.6 The Value and Quality of Life
- 6.7 Conclusion
- 7. Justice
- 7.1 The Concept of Justice and Principles of Justice
- 7.2 Traditional Theories of Justice
- 7.3 Two Theories Closely Connected to the Value of Health
- 7.4 Fair Opportunity and Unfair Discrimination
- 7.5 Vulnerability, Exploitation, and Discrimination in Research
- 7.6 National Health Policy and the Right to Health Care
- 7.7 Global Health Policy and the Right to Health
- 7.8 Allocating, Setting Priorities, and Rationing
- 7.9 Conclusion
- 8. Rules, Roles, and Relationships
- 8.1 Veracity
- 8.2 Privacy
- 8.3 Confidentiality
- 8.4 Fidelity
- 8.5 The Distinction between Clinical Ethics and Research Ethics
- 8.6 Conclusion
- PART III THEORY AND METHOD
- 9. Moral Theories
- 9.1 Criteria for Assessing Moral Theories
- 9.2 Utilitarian Theory
- 9.3 Kantian Theory
- 9.4 Rights Theory
- 9.5 Virtue Theory
- 9.6 The Convergence of Theories on Principles
- 9.7 Conclusion
- 10. Method and Moral Justification
- 10.1 Justification in Ethics
- 10.2 Top-Down Model: Theory and Application
- 10.3 Bottom-Up Model: Cases and Analogical Reasoning
- 10.4 An Integrated Model: Reflective Equilibrium
- 10.5 Common-Morality Theory
- 10.6 Conclusion
- Index