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Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics pp 2282–2293Cite as

Principlism

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Abstract

The term “principlism” designates an approach to biomedical ethics that uses a framework of four universal and basic ethical principles: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. It is presented and defended in Beauchamp and Childress’ Principles of Biomedical Ethics. The basic principles state prima facie (or non-absolute) moral obligations that are rendered practical by being specified for particular contexts. Moral problems arise when principles or their specifications come into conflict with each other. The conflicts are resolved by further specification or balancing judgments. Principlism justifies moral reasoning by appealing to the method of reflective equilibrium and to the common morality. Principlism is committed to a global bioethics because the principles are universally applicable, not merely local, customary, or cultural rules. They are correlative to basic human rights and set limits to what is ethically acceptable in all societies, but they are also sensitive to particular conditions in societies and cultures that may account for legitimate differences in the ethics of medical research and practice.

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References

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Further Readings

  • Beauchamp, T. L. (2010). Standing on principles: collected essays. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy Department and Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA

    Tom L. Beauchamp

  2. Institute for Ethics, History, and Theory of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Lessingstr. 2, 80336, Munich, Germany

    Oliver Rauprich

Authors
  1. Tom L. Beauchamp
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  2. Oliver Rauprich
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tom L. Beauchamp or Oliver Rauprich .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Healthcare Ethics, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Henk ten Have

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Beauchamp, T.L., Rauprich, O. (2016). Principlism. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_348

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