Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 567-587 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Theoretical medicine and bioethics |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 17 Aug 2023 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2023 |
Abstract
It can be assumed that value judgements, which are needed to judge what is ‘good’ or ‘better’ and what is ‘bad’ or ‘worse’, are involved in every decision-making process. The theoretical understanding and analysis of value judgements is, therefore, important in the context of bioethics, for example, to be able to ethically assess real decision-making processes in biomedical practice and make recommendations for improvements. However, real decision-making processes and the value judgements inherent in them must first be investigated empirically (‘empirical bioethics’). For this to succeed, what exactly a ‘value judgement’ is and of what components it might consist must initially be theoretically clarified. A corresponding conceptual model can then support or even enable empirical data collection and analysis and, above all, subsequent ethical analysis and evaluation. This paper, therefore, presents a value judgement model with its theoretical derivation. It also illustrates its application in an interview study of decision-making between animal experimentation and alternative methods in the context of biomedical research. Though the model itself can be theoretically deepened and extended, the application of the model works in general and helps to uncover what value judgements can enter into decision-making. However, the empirical methods, for example, qualitative interviews, can also be better oriented towards eliciting value judgements (as understood according to the model). Further applications of the model to other topics or by means of other empirical methods are conceivable.
Keywords
- Animal research ethics, Decision-making, Empirical bioethics, Ethical theory, Value judgement, Values
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nursing(all)
- Issues, ethics and legal aspects
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In: Theoretical medicine and bioethics, Vol. 44, No. 6, 12.2023, p. 567-587.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Values, decision-making and empirical bioethics
T2 - a conceptual model for empirically identifying and analyzing value judgements
AU - Mertz, Marcel
AU - Prince, Ilvie
AU - Pietschmann, Ines
N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This study was part of research that was funded by the R2N consortium ( https://r2n.eu/ ), which, in turn, was funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK), Germany.
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - It can be assumed that value judgements, which are needed to judge what is ‘good’ or ‘better’ and what is ‘bad’ or ‘worse’, are involved in every decision-making process. The theoretical understanding and analysis of value judgements is, therefore, important in the context of bioethics, for example, to be able to ethically assess real decision-making processes in biomedical practice and make recommendations for improvements. However, real decision-making processes and the value judgements inherent in them must first be investigated empirically (‘empirical bioethics’). For this to succeed, what exactly a ‘value judgement’ is and of what components it might consist must initially be theoretically clarified. A corresponding conceptual model can then support or even enable empirical data collection and analysis and, above all, subsequent ethical analysis and evaluation. This paper, therefore, presents a value judgement model with its theoretical derivation. It also illustrates its application in an interview study of decision-making between animal experimentation and alternative methods in the context of biomedical research. Though the model itself can be theoretically deepened and extended, the application of the model works in general and helps to uncover what value judgements can enter into decision-making. However, the empirical methods, for example, qualitative interviews, can also be better oriented towards eliciting value judgements (as understood according to the model). Further applications of the model to other topics or by means of other empirical methods are conceivable.
AB - It can be assumed that value judgements, which are needed to judge what is ‘good’ or ‘better’ and what is ‘bad’ or ‘worse’, are involved in every decision-making process. The theoretical understanding and analysis of value judgements is, therefore, important in the context of bioethics, for example, to be able to ethically assess real decision-making processes in biomedical practice and make recommendations for improvements. However, real decision-making processes and the value judgements inherent in them must first be investigated empirically (‘empirical bioethics’). For this to succeed, what exactly a ‘value judgement’ is and of what components it might consist must initially be theoretically clarified. A corresponding conceptual model can then support or even enable empirical data collection and analysis and, above all, subsequent ethical analysis and evaluation. This paper, therefore, presents a value judgement model with its theoretical derivation. It also illustrates its application in an interview study of decision-making between animal experimentation and alternative methods in the context of biomedical research. Though the model itself can be theoretically deepened and extended, the application of the model works in general and helps to uncover what value judgements can enter into decision-making. However, the empirical methods, for example, qualitative interviews, can also be better oriented towards eliciting value judgements (as understood according to the model). Further applications of the model to other topics or by means of other empirical methods are conceivable.
KW - Animal research ethics
KW - Decision-making
KW - Empirical bioethics
KW - Ethical theory
KW - Value judgement
KW - Values
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85168299648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11017-023-09640-4
DO - 10.1007/s11017-023-09640-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 37589807
AN - SCOPUS:85168299648
VL - 44
SP - 567
EP - 587
JO - Theoretical medicine and bioethics
JF - Theoretical medicine and bioethics
SN - 1386-7415
IS - 6
ER -