醫學倫理的理論思考

Bioethics: Theoretical Deliberation

戴正德(Michael Cheng-Tek Tai)

《Journal of Medical Education》 2卷1期 (1998/03) Pp. 3-9

https://doi.org/10.6145/jme.199803_2(1).0002

摘要

醫學倫理在沉靜了很長的一段時日之後，又再次在20世紀末期響起了鐘聲。隨著科技的進步，人類關係的更趨複雜，在人性尊嚴猛受挑戰的今天，醫界感受到有醫學而無倫理，就像一部沒有目的與導引的車子，將橫衝直撞，創禍造傷，使人類所得到的助益因自己的盲目性而得不償失。提及倫理，好像是道貌岸然者以權威加諸於别人並限制別人之自由的美詞。其實不然，倫理是一種關係的科學，在於幫助一個人在每天無數決定過程中，去做合乎人性的決擇，來助益個人並提昇人類社會的和諧，造福人羣，而使公義及美、善的光芒永照。醫學倫理因之是一個使醫學更合乎人性，不但醫治病疾，減除痛苦，也維護人類尊嚴的一個學問。醫學倫理不剝奪醫學研究的自由，也不限制醫生的臨床工作，而要幫助醫學點燃人性的光輝，醫學倫理因之賦予醫學人性。醫學倫理的學術觀不在於訴諸權威，也不以徧激主觀的訴求為依歸，而是一種理性的呼喚。它不但是一種道德學、社會學、心理學、人際關係學，更是一個醫學的人文學。其學術基礎建立於理性思考上，但卻不失去人性。醫學倫理幫助醫學從事一個又眞又美又善的診斷與醫治。

關鍵字

生命倫理 ； 決定過程 ； 思考分析

並列摘要

Bioethics deals with medical decision-making. It ensures the prevalence of good over evil, justice over exploitation and the exquisite over the careless. Thus, it cannot be a subjective, speculative discipline, but rather, a reasoned analysis from which a decision is derived.
The ambiguity of decisions which we experience in daily interactions usually is the result of a subjectively motivated thinking process emphasizing emotivism, legalism, cultural relativism or fidelism. Any bioethical decision-making based on these reasoning patterns will be subject to further debate due to their one-sided nature.
Bioethics is an academic discipline in which decision-making is founded on rational considerations with an understanding that no decision can be perfect. Reasoned analysis refers to the fact that this process of decision-making includes medical, social, psychological theological, environmental and legal considerations. It does not appeal to authority but speaks to the need of the person from an objective perspective. Bioethics, aiming at moral, rational and empathetical decision-making, strives to give medicine a human face without compromising universally valid truth.

並列關鍵字

bioethics ； decision-making process ； reasoned analysis