Methods in Medical Ethics

"The first edition of Methods in Medical Ethics provided one of the clearest and most accessible introductions to medical ethics...The new chapter on applications of the multiple methods of medical ethics, focusing on the crucial topic of surrogate decision making, provides a model of excellence in scholarship in the field. The contributors-all leading scholars in the field-have taken Methods in Medical Ethics to the next extraordinary level. I look forward to teaching from it for many years to come."---Laurence B. Mccullough, Dalton Tomlin Chair in Medical Ethcs and Health Policy, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine

"An important contribution to the field."---Jama (Journal of the American Medical Association)

"An outstanding achievement. By far the most comprehensive book on research methods in medical ethics to date. Must-reading for any serious student of bioethics."---Mark G. Kuczewski, Loyola University Chicago

Medical ethics draws upon methods from a wide array of disciplines, including anthropology, economics, epidemiology, health services research, history, law, medicine, nursing, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology.

In this influential book, outstanding scholars in medical ethics bring these many methods together in one place to be systematically described, critiqued, and challenged. Newly revised and updated chapters include philosophy, religion and theology, virtue and professionalism, casuistry and clinical ethics, law, history, qualitative research, ethnography, quantitative surveys, experimental methods, and economics and decision science. This second edition also includes new chapters on literature and sociology, as well as a second chapter on philosophy, which expands the range of philosophical methods discussed to include gender ethics, communitarianism, and discourse ethics. In each of these chapters, contributors provide descriptions of the method, critiques, and notes on resources and training.

Methods in Medical Ethics is a valuable resource for scholars, teachers, editors, and students in any of the disciplines that have contributed to the field. As a textbook and reference for students and scholars in medical ethics, it offers a rich understanding of the complexities involved in the rigorous investigation of moral questions in medical practice and research.

Jeremy Sugarman, MD, is a professor of medicine and philosophy and the director of the Center for the Study of Medical Ethics and Humanities at Duke University. He is the editor of Ethics in Primary Care and coeditor of Beyond Consent: Seeking Justice in Research.

Daniel P. Sulmasy, OFM, MD, is the inaugural Clinton-Kilbride Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics, Professor of Divinity, and Associate Director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. He is the author of The Healer's Calling: A Spirituality for Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals.