ABSTRACT
The field of bioethics brings together scholars from philosophy, law, health care sciences, theology, and the social sciences who seek to understand and resolve ethical dilemmas in health care and biomedical research. As rapid advances in technology allow us to alter our bodies or extend our lives, a bioethicist asks whether and how we should use them. Treatment decisions and research priorities involve much more than just biological science; the values we hold personally and collectively, the meanings we attach to life and death, and conflicts between individual and collective interests are constantly involved. Birth, death, illness, suffering, and the hope of recovery are the most profound of human experiences, and any intervention that deeply affects our bodies and life prospects requires careful ethical consideration. Medical interventions may even reshape entire societies: life-extending technologies have lengthened our average life span and revised our attitudes toward aging. Are these changes for the better? These are not easy questions, and the answers are seldom clear.
