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Ancient Chinese medical ethics and the four principles of biomedical ethics.
- Source :
- Journal of Medical Ethics; Aug99, Vol. 25 Issue 4, p315, 7p
- Publication Year :
- 1999
-
Abstract
- The four principles approach to biomedical ethics (4PBE) has, since the 1970s, been increasingly developed as a universal bioethics method. Despite its wide acceptance and popularity, the 4PBE has received many challenges to its cross-cultural plausibility. This paper first specifies the principles and characteristics of ancient Chinese medical ethics (ACME), then makes a comparison between ACME and the 4PBE with a view to testing out the 4PBE's cross-cultural plausibility when applied to one particular but very extensive and prominent cultural context. The result shows that the concepts of respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice are clearly identifiable in ACME. Yet, being influenced by certain socio-cultural factors, those applying the 4PBE in Chinese society may tend to adopt a "beneficence-oriented" rather than an "autonomy-oriented" approach, which, in general, is dissimilar to the practice of contemporary Western bioethics, where "autonomy often triumphs". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- MEDICAL ethics
BIOETHICS
CROSS-cultural studies
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 03066800
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Medical Ethics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 2215021
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.25.4.315