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Mepham: Bioethics 2e

Part 1: The theoretical background to bioethics

Websites provide some accessible material, but it is important to be wary of propaganda dressed up as philosophy. Useful sites are:

Chapter 01: The nature of bioethics

The complete works of Charles Darwin online
http://darwin-online.org.uk
All biologists should be aware of this unique resource, in which you can read all Darwin’s works. The site also contains biographies and a pictorial archive of his life.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/popper/
Contains a useful collection of articles on Sir Karl Popper’s philosophy of science.

Think - A Periodical of the Royal Institute of Philosophy
www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org/think/articles.php
The journal Think aims to provide to a non-specialist readership some highly engaging and accessible writing by leading philosophers, and to counter the popular impression that philosophy is pointless and detached from everyday life. Several articles from the journal appear on the Royal Institute of Philosophy website.

Chapter 02:Theories of ethics 

For articles on ethical theory, applied ethical issues and biographies of key philosophers, consult:

Ethics Updates (edited by Lawrence M Hinman)
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/
A useful guide to ethical theory.

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (edited by James Fieser)
www.iep.utm.edu/
An extensive guide to philosophers and their works.

Dictionary of Philosophy (edited by D D Runes)
www.ditext.com/runes/index.html
A handy source of reference to philosophical terms.

Chapter 03: A framework for ethical analysis

Compassion in World Farming - The Ethical Matrix Resource
www.ethicalmatrix.net
Funded by the Compassion in World Farming (2003): An interactive web version of the ethical matrix (by Ben Mepham and Sandra Tomkins) which explores three types of animal farming. In each case, users assess organic systems against conventional, intensive forms of production. Because the exercise is primarily designed for use in secondary schools, note that the terminology used differs slightly from that employed in this chapter, e.g. respect for autonomy is represented as ‘choice’.

www.ethicaltools.info/content/ET2%20Manual%20EM%20(Binnenwerk%2045p).pdf [pdf]
A ‘manual’ designed to assist people using the matrix in committee settings (by Ben Mepham and colleagues, published in 2006).

EthicsWeb.ca
www.ethicsweb.ca/resources/decision-making/index.html
A collection of useful articles on ethical decision-making can be found at EthicsWeb.ca.