The Ends of Human Life: Medical Ethics in a Liberal Polity

Part 1 The political conception of medical ethics: technology and medical ethics the ethical dimension of professions the ethical dimension of medicine medical ethics and political philosophy implications of the political conception the irresolution of medical ethical questions. Part 2 The nature of liberal political philosophy: two forms of liberalism the tenets of political liberalism. Part 3 Terminating medical care for incompetent patients: the right to refuse medical care the insignificance of who decides the relativity of extraordinary care the impossibility of substituted judgments the indeterminacy of best interests illiberal resolutions to the problem of terminating care the ill effects of irresolution. Part 4 The just distribution of medical resources: justice and health care policy the inadequacy of the right to equal access unjustified lists of basic medical services the weakness of the liberal opportunity criterion hypothetical choice procedures and conceptions of the good life the last hope - democratic political procedures the costs of not specifying basic medical services. Part 5 The liberal communitarian vision: background tenets for political philosophy the ideal of liberal communitarianism the conception of deliberation the conception of a person political rights and goods a federated system liberal and communitarian facets. Part 6 A liberal communitarian vision of health care: the basic structure of community health programmes justification of CHPs philosophical plausibility of CHPs political practicality of CHPs objections considered conclusion - medical ethics for the physician.