ABSTRACT
The ethic of respect for persons, being a type of ethic based on duty, differs from ethics that focus on production of good consequences and avoiding evil ones. For a discussion of the basics of bioethics, this chapter presents a shorter list of core principles of: fidelity, autonomy, veracity, avoidance of killing. The general idea of the principle of fidelity in the patient-physician relation is one of loyalty. An ethic of respect for persons considers certain behaviors simply to be one's duty regardless of the consequences. If an action includes a lie, a broken promise, or a violation of another's autonomy, then these features tend to make it morally wrong even if the consequences are good. Such an ethic focuses on the intrinsic nature of the action, its moral structure or form, and hence is sometimes called formalism. The ethic of respect for persons stands in contrast with the ethics of Hippocratic benefit.
