Introduction to the Four Principles of Biomedical Ethics in Confucius / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

It is not only the problem of the real life,but also the challenge of the biomedical ethics for how to get the balance and compromise between the principlism and situationism.The fairness in Confucian is constructed on the basis of the external nature,and also is a standard and content-full ethical principle,which is different from the political one in the western culture.The Confucian basis is the principlism but does not refuse the situationism.In the four principles of Confucian,both fairness and respect for autonomy belong to the principlism,while the other two of knowing where to stop and no harm or the principle of benefit of utilitarianism are the basis of the situationism.The principle of knowing where to stop is the internal core spirit of the Confucian moral virtue and ethical principles,but fairness is the first principle of its all external principles.