Bioethics

This course aims to provide an overview of some of the most pressing issues addressed in the contemporary bioethical debate and is structured in four parts. The first part aims to offer a methodological introduction to the discipline and an overview of two classical issues discussed in bioethical reflection, namely, abortion and end-of-life. This will serve as a fundamental basis to discuss in detail three of the most pressing topics of bioethics in our nowadays society. The second part explores the ethical issues emerging from structural scarcity in healthcare and the necessity to allocate healthcare resources. The third part investigates the ethics of genetics and examines how current and future assisted reproductive technologies may change our understanding of human reproduction. The fourth and final part discusses the ethical problems emerging from the implementation of artificial intelligence in clinical settings, discussing its impact on the doctor-patient relationship and end-of-life decisions.

This course will allow students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for the development of a critical and non-dogmatic reflection on complex bioethical issues. With regard to knowledge, students will be able to: recognize the aims of bioethical reflection, distinguishing the various areas of practical application of the discipline; recognize the ethical theories and arguments used in dealing with specific bioethical issues. Regarding competencies, students will be able to formulate articulated opinions on the topics covered during the course and present their positions in a coherent and well-argued way.