Anthropology and Bioethics

TLDR

Bioethics has traditionally been rooted in Western rationalism and a rights‑based framework that fosters reductionism, utilitarianism, and ethnocentrism, but recent shifts toward casuistry, hermeneutics, and moral phenomenology are opening pathways for collaboration with anthropology. The article investigates the philosophical orientation of U.S. bioethics and the role of social sciences, particularly anthropology, in shaping medical ethics.

Abstract

The field of bioethics has been dominated by the tenets and assumptions of Western philosophical rationalistic thought. A principles and rights‐based approach to discussions of moral dilemmas has sustained and reinforced a pervasive reductionism, utilitarianism, and ethnocentrism in the field. Recent explorations of casuistry and hermeneutics suggest a movement toward an expanded theoretical and conceptual framing of medical ethical problems. Increased attention to moral phenomenology and a recognition of the importance of social, cultural, and historical determinants that shape moral questioning should facilitate collaborative work between anthropologists and ethicists. In this article, I examine the philosophical orientation of U.S. bioethics and the relationship of the social sciences to the field of medical ethics. Deterrents to collaboration between anthropologists and bioethicists are explored. Finally, I review past and possible future contributions of anthropology to the field of bioethics and, more generally, to medical ethics.