Further Reading & Links
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Further reading
Professor Solomon recommends the following books for students who are interested in pursuing themes from the course:
1. Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain (Vintage, 1996 [1924]) (preview)
Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of twentieth-century German fiction, Thomas Mann's novel is thematically rich and provides much material for reflection concerning health and sickness.
2. Paul Starr, The Social Transformation of American Medicine (Basic Books, 1984)
Starr's prize-winning book provides a detailed account of the history of medical practice in America. It is particularly valuable for its account of the transformation of the medical profession over the course of the last century.
3. Tom Beauchamp and James Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 6th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2008) (preview)
Beauchamp and Childress' Principles of Biomedical Ethics was the first textbook of bioethics. Beauchamp and Childress characterize their approach as a principle-based, common morality theory and while their approach has been criticized on a number of grounds it remains enormously influential and has the best claim of any approach to represent the mainstream of contemporary bioethics.
4. H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., The Foundations of Christian Bioethics (Scrivener, 2000) (preview)
Engelhardt's uncompromising work combines a sharp critique of secular bioethics with a systematic articulation of a Christian approach to the ethical questions arising from medical practice.
5. Albert Jonsen, Mark Siegler, and William Winslade, Clinical Ethics, 6th ed. (McGraw Hill, 2006) (preview)
This influential work focuses on realistic case studies and seeks to provide a practical guide to the ethical decisions involved in the practice of clinical medicine.
6. Carl Elliot, Better Than Well (W.W. Norton & Co., 1993)
In this fascinating book Elliot explores the questions raised by the increasing use of medical techniques and technologies not just to heal but to enhance human beings.
7. Paul Ramsey, The Patient as Person, 2d ed. (Yale University Press, 2002) (preview)
Paul Ramsey was a professor of religion at Princeton University. His writings on bioethics exerted a considerable influence on the field, especially though not exclusively on those seeking to think about bioethics from a Christian perspective. The Patient as Person was originally published in 1971, but it has proved an enduring and in many ways prescient work and remains rewarding today.
8. Renee Fox and Judith Swazey, Observing Bioethics (Oxford University Press, 2008) (preview)
Fox and Swazey's book explores the history and contemporary practice of bioethics from a sociological perspective.
9. Ivan Illich, Limits to Medicine (Marion Boyars, 1975)
Originally published under the title Medical Nemesis: The Expropriation of Health, this book examines the meanings underlying the modern practice of medicine. A provocative work by an unusually profound social critic.
10. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, Centesimus Annus, Veritatus Splendor.
During his long papacy and in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, John Paul II shaped the Catholic Church's response to the modern world. These encyclicals have been especially influential and will continue to shape Catholic thinking in the twenty first century. Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life") is a powerful statement on the Church's teachings concerning the inviolability of human life, Centesimus Annus ("The Hundredth Year") is concerned with the Church's teachings about social responsibility, while Veritatus Splendor ("The Splendor of Truth") focuses on the foundations of the Church's moral teachings.
Links
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.
Established by President Barack Obama in 2009, The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues is the successor to the President's Council on Bioethics, established by George W. Bush. Like its predecessor, the Commission is devoted to a wide range of issues in contemporary bioethics and their relation to public policy.
The President's Council on Bioethics.
Active from 2001 until 2009, the President's Council on Bioethics produced excellent reports on a wide range of topics. These and other resources are available from the online archive hosted by Georgetown University.
The Gutmacher Institute conducts research relating to reproductive health. It was founded as a division of Planned Parenthood and while it has subsequently become an independent corporation its work is presented from a clear pro-choice perspective. Nonetheless, the quality of research it produces is widely respected even by those who do not share the Institute's ideological commitments.
The Centers for Law & Public Health.
The website of the Centers for Law & Public Health contains a number of useful resources and is especially good for finding work at the intersection of bioethics and law and public policy.
