![]() ![]() ![]() Wolff goes on to acknowledge the tension between autonomy and authority questioning how autonomy can be granted in a state along with laws - which he sees as restricting autonomy. Robert Wolff claims that people “are responsible for their actions…they are in some sense capable of choosing how they will act”. Instead I will begin by looking at different philosopher’s conceptions of autonomy to uncover some of its fundamental features. Dworkin reflects this, describing autonomy as “a moral, political and social ideal.” Due to the wide-ranging applications of autonomy I do not want to begin by searching for a singular definition of autonomy that would apply to all of them. Autonomy has a wide range of implications in a variety of disciplines including philosophy, politics and law. ![]() The etymology of the word suggests that the autonomous agent is one who can self determine or self-legislate their own life. The word autonomy derives from the Greek ‘autos’, meaning self, and ‘nomos’ meaning rule or law. The consent described is intertwined with autonomy and indeed represents our capacity for autonomous choice. This is reflected in the first principle in the code of ethics which states: “Required is the voluntary, well-informed, understanding consent of the human subject in a full legal capacity”. Whilst this code of ethics focused on creating global standards of ethical scientific research it gave rise to concepts such as informed consent and the idea that decisions by patients ought to be free from coercion. The importance of this was highlighted in the Nuremberg code of ethics in 1947, which resulted from the Nuremberg trial following experimentation by Nazi scientists on a large number of the German population as well as captives from concentration camps. As such, the relationship between the doctor and the patient has become more of a partnership with both taking an active role in making joint decisions compared to the older model which was more akin to the relationship between a parent and their child.Ĭlick on the links to find out more about Paternalism and Autonomy in Moral Philosophy:Īlongside this push for greater autonomy for patients, came a new found importance for consent given by patients for accepting medical care to ensure that they fully understand the procedure and what it involved, as well as the possible risks or side effects. ![]() However, in the last 60 years or so there has been a shift from this model to one in which the patient has a more active role in determining their healthcare needs and in choosing what treatment options would be best suited to them. For years in the healthcare profession the doctor-patient relationship was one grounded in paternalism with the patient deferring to their doctor when it came to their health. In recent years, it has become of great relevance to the field of biomedical ethics. These principles, which we shall look at more closely in this post, are autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice.Īutonomy is a vastly complex concept which has implications on a great number of disciplines from politics to moral philosophy. The four principles of biomedical ethics as outlined by Beauchamp and Childress have become the cornerstones of biomedical ethics in healthcare practice. ![]()
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