title: Ethical theory and epidemiology.
abstract: The stream of ethics questions that arise in science seems endless. These questions concern how one determines responsibilities, rights, obligations, policies, and the like. But neither a "code of ethics" nor customary practice-standards may adequately justify a moral belief. An ethical theory is sometimes necessary to make progress on our moral problems. This form of theory consists of a diverse set of ways of developing moral concepts and giving philosophical reasons that explain, augment, and criticize the rules of social morality. Moral theory provides a basis for moral reasoning about problems; this reasoning is analogous to legal reasoning, where one appears before a court with a well reasoned case in defense of one's conduct. Moral theory is no panacea for our contemporary moral concerns, but it is valuable ally in the attempt to resolve them.
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Beauchamp
mesh_terms: D004813:Epidemiology; D004989:Ethics; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D009014:Morals