Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic
The stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on health systems internationally has forced difficult decisions concerning the rationing of medical care and has put the bioethical structures that inform those choices under scrutiny. Often, ethical approaches to pandemic circumstances center around...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Tzu Chi Medical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.tcmjmed.com/article.asp?issn=1016-3190;year=2022;volume=34;issue=1;spage=107;epage=112;aulast=Butchart |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849322910131421184 |
|---|---|
| author | Liam C Butchart |
| author_facet | Liam C Butchart |
| author_sort | Liam C Butchart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on health systems internationally has forced difficult decisions concerning the rationing of medical care and has put the bioethical structures that inform those choices under scrutiny. Often, ethical approaches to pandemic circumstances center around utilitarianism, dehumanizing the treatment process and ignoring the plurality of other philosophical doctrines that inform non-Western bioethics, which could be of use in addressing the pandemic. This paper focuses on philosophical Taoism, as developed in the Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi, in order to suggest an alternative approach to medical care when medical capacity is limited, grounded in the concept of wu-wei, or inaction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-22dbb8efda7948c5b83f5e1fdf4565c2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1016-3190 2223-8956 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tzu Chi Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-22dbb8efda7948c5b83f5e1fdf4565c22025-08-20T03:49:13ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsTzu Chi Medical Journal1016-31902223-89562022-01-0134110711210.4103/tcmj.tcmj_77_21Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemicLiam C ButchartThe stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on health systems internationally has forced difficult decisions concerning the rationing of medical care and has put the bioethical structures that inform those choices under scrutiny. Often, ethical approaches to pandemic circumstances center around utilitarianism, dehumanizing the treatment process and ignoring the plurality of other philosophical doctrines that inform non-Western bioethics, which could be of use in addressing the pandemic. This paper focuses on philosophical Taoism, as developed in the Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi, in order to suggest an alternative approach to medical care when medical capacity is limited, grounded in the concept of wu-wei, or inaction.http://www.tcmjmed.com/article.asp?issn=1016-3190;year=2022;volume=34;issue=1;spage=107;epage=112;aulast=Butchartbioethicscovid-19synthetic ethicstaoismutilitarianism |
| spellingShingle | Liam C Butchart Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic Tzu Chi Medical Journal bioethics covid-19 synthetic ethics taoism utilitarianism |
| title | Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | taoism bioethics and the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | bioethics covid-19 synthetic ethics taoism utilitarianism |
| url | http://www.tcmjmed.com/article.asp?issn=1016-3190;year=2022;volume=34;issue=1;spage=107;epage=112;aulast=Butchart |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT liamcbutchart taoismbioethicsandthecovid19pandemic |