Beneficence, respect for autonomy, and justice: principles in practice

The principles of beneficence, respect for autonomy, and justice have been debated in various ways in a number of disciplines including philosophy ( 1 , 2 ) and medical ethics ( 3 - 7 ). The scope of debate is broad and encompasses critiques of orthodox perspectives on ethical theories, for example, McIntyre ( 8 , 9 ), and Nunner-Winkler ( 10 ); critiques of the ethics of scientific research, for example, Faulder ( 11 ); and social scientific interest in examining the moral component of research processes ( 12 , 13 ).