Question

Health Care Ethics

1. Discuss the teleological perspective regarding the concept of artificiality

2. List the Harvard criterion of irreversible coma

Answer 1

1.

Teleological ethics, (teleological from Greek telos, “end”; logos, “science”), theory of morality that derives duty or moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved. Also known as consequentialist ethics, it is opposed to deontological ethics(from the Greek deon, “duty”), which holds that the basic standards for an action’s being morally right are independent of the good or evil generated.

Modern ethics, especially since the 18th-century German deontological philosophy of Immanuel Kant, has been deeply divided between a form of teleological ethics (utilitarianism) and deontological theories.

Teleological theories differ on the nature of the end that actions ought to promote. Eudaemonist theories (Greek eudaimonia, “happiness”), which hold that ethics consists in some function or activity appropriate to man as a human being, tend to emphasize the cultivation of virtue or excellence in the agent as the end of all action. These could be the classical virtues—courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom—that promoted the Greek ideal of man as the “rational animal”; or the theological virtues—faith, hope, and love—that distinguished the Christian ideal of man as a being created in the image of God.

2.

The Harvard criteria for the definition of irreversible coma or brain death were a product of a multidisciplinary committee chaired by anesthesiologist Beecher. The Harvard criteria included unreceptivity, unresponsiveness, no movements or breathing, no reflexes with further delineation of brainstem reflexes, and a flat electroencephalogram (repeated after 24 h with no change). The apnea test involved disconnection of the ventilator for 3 min. Hypothermia or any other central nervous system depressant had to be excluded. The Harvard criteria (and what followed) have been a bane for bioethicists from day one. This historical vignette explains, criticizes, and celebrates this landmark publication for its courage to tackle the topic. The Harvard criteria resulted in more studies and more criteria gradually complicating matters until the American Academy of Neurology in 1995 provided the necessary simplicity.