A Rich Bioethics: Public Policy, Biotechnology, and the Kass Council

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Notre Dame StuDieS iN meDical ethicS • David Solomon, Series editor A RICH BIOETHICS Public Policy, Biotechnology, and the Kass council aDam Briggle “Adam Briggle has written a rich and sympathetic account of the President’s Council on Bioethics led by Leon Kass. It puts in historical context the efforts of this council to move beyond the limited ‘instrumentalist’ approaches to bioethics taken by earlier commissions, toward a more philosophically serious effort to deliberate on the human goods put in play by modern biomedicine. In the process it answers many of the charges of politicization and corrects the record concerning the council’s work.” —Francis Fukuyama, The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies “Adam Briggle has written a fine book on a complex, controversial topic. He shows the wisdom of the approach to bioethics taken by the Kass Council, sets right the unfair and often nasty attacks on the council and Kass himself, and offers a perceptive and wide-ranging look at the terrain of ethics.” —Daniel Callahan, The Hastings Center “What an eloquent, humane, and wise book. Briggle discovers an imperfect yet fascinating effort to bring the world of biomedical research into the domain of public philosophy. His scholarship and generosity make clear that a democratic society need not be morally shackled to the realm of the possible that science is constantly expanding.” —Daniel Sarewitz, Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes, Arizona State University “This is the most persuasive and thoughtful reconstruction of the Kass Council’s goals and rationale that I have seen. Adam Briggle’s account of the notion of a ‘richer’ bioethics is comprehensive and well-reasoned.” —Jonathan D. Moreno, University of Pennsylvania ADAM Briggle is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of North Texas. university of Notre Dame Press Notre Dame, iN 46556 undpress.nd.edu A RICH BIOETHICS Public Policy, Biotechnology, and the Kass Council A D A M B R I G G L E A RICH BIOETHICS Notre Dame Studies in Medical Ethics David Solomon, series editor The purpose of the Notre Dame Studies in Medical Ethics series, sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, is to publish works that specifically address contemporary issues in the field of medicine. The aim is to foster a systematic and rational discussion of medical ethical problems grounded in Catholic intellectual tradition and moral vision. ...