The Intellectual Basis of Bioethics in Southern European Countries

Abstract

Today the Western world harbors, at least, three very different ethical traditions, each with its own characteristics: the Anglo-Saxon, the Northern (or Central) European, and the Mediterranean. Because modern bioethics made its appearance in the Anglo-American culture, Europeans in general, and Mediterraneans in particular, have attempted not simply to "import" or "translate" bioethics, but rather to "recreate" or "remake" the discipline according to their own cultural and ethical traditions. In my presentation, I would like to explain the peculiarities of Mediterranean bioethics, analyzing the following seven points: First, how they think bioethics should be philosophically founded; Second, the Mediterranean ethics of virtue and the doctor-patient relationship; Third, the relationship between Ethics and Law; Fourth, Health Care Systems and Ethics, Fifth, the problems concerning patient rights; Sixth, ethics by Committees; and finally, some general conclusions.