Abstract
This paper addresses the possibility and value of externalism in bioethical debates. First, it discusses President Council on Bioethics (PCBE)'s public reports, especially much-debated notion of "human dignity," and Ruth Macklin's refutation of this particular notion. Macklin regards "human dignity" as reducible to respect for autonomy, the first of the four principles of biomedical ethics, arguing that dignity is "a useless concept in medical ethics and can be eliminated without any loss of content." The Council counters Macklin's refutation with their report on Human Dignity and Bioethics in 2008. Both views are discussed in some detail. Second, this paper critically examines Macklin's view, situating it in a few specific contexts (ethics of suicides Tooley's so-called "person" theory, and the brain death controversy). By doing so, the paper shows how both Macklin and the Council share their basic assumption of internalism. Finally, interrogating the bioethics based on the notion of autonomy, the paper discusses the significance of the idea of externalism in various socio-bioethical problems.
