INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPA FOOT’S DILEMMAS ON MEDICAL ETHICS

Medical ethics is a branch of applied ethics that is deeply connected with the philosophy of medicine. Medical ethics mainly focuses on the moral issues of medicine. It also deals with the problems of euthanasia, abortion, clinical trials, health care and well-being. There are many approaches or moral theories inside applied ethics. They give moral reasons for medic’s actions, especially in difficult or controversial situations. Among the numerous contemporary ethical theories, the theory of realism by English philosopher Philippa Foot takes a particular place. Her theory of moral realism has been formed under the influence of Aristotle and Tomas Aquinas’ ethics.