Ethics, also called moral philosophy, the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong. The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or principles.
How should we live? Shall we aim at happiness or at knowledge, virtue, or the creation of beautiful objects? If we choose happiness, will it be our own or the happiness of all? And what of the more particular questions that face us: is it right to be dishonest in a good cause? Can we justify living in opulence while elsewhere in the world people are starving? Is going to war justified in cases where it is likely that innocent people will be killed? Is it wrong to clone a human being or to destroy human embryos in medical research? What are our obligations, if any, to the generations of humans who will come after us and to the nonhuman animals with whom we share the planet?
Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong.
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In this area of study students explore a contemporary bioethical issue relating to the application of genetic knowledge, reproductive science, inheritance or adaptations and interdependencies beneficial for survival.
Examples of investigation topics include, but are not limited to: genomic and epigenetic research; cloning for agriculture, horticulture or other purposes; assisted reproductive technologies; prenatal and predictive genetic testing; strategies for maintaining genetic diversity within a species or population; the impact of introduced species; changes to specific keystone species on populations and ecosystems; or the use of biomimicry to solve human challenges or biopiracy of Indigenous knowledge.
Outcome 3
On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify, analyse and evaluate a bioethical issue in genetics, reproductive science or adaptations beneficial for survival.
To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge outlined in Area of Study 3 and the related key science skills on pages 7–8 of the study design.
Key knowledge
Analysis and evaluation of bioethical issues
Bioethics - research Guide on ProQuest
Bioethics is the branch of ethics, or moral decision-making, that deals with the problems of biology and medicine.
This Research Guide presents a range of ethical positions on a range of medical and scientific issues, including the perspectives of the Catholilc Church on the sanctity of human life.
Perspectives on Bioethics.
Documentary presenting the views of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam towards a range of bioethical issues.
Insight: Genetic Testing
Would you want to know if you were carrying a gene that could kill you? Genetic testing may be able to give you the answer. But many Australians who potentially carry these genes choose not to be tested, because they can't bear to know what awaits them.
Where do we draw the line? Should we screen out all known genetic diseases or just those that dramatically affect lifespan and quality of life.
