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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2009

Onora O'Neill
Affiliation:
Newnham College, Cambridge
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Summary

Autonomy has been a leading idea in philosophical writing on bioethics; trust has been marginal. This strikes me as surprising. Autonomy is usually identified with individual independence, and sometimes leads to ethically dubious or disastrous action. Its ethical credentials are not self-evident. Trust is surely more important, and particularly so for any ethically adequate practice of medicine, science and biotechnology. Trust – or rather loss of trust – is a constant concern in political and popular writing in all three areas. Why then has autonomy landed a starring role in philosophical and ethical writing in bioethics? And why has trust secured no more than a walk-on part?

When I was invited to deliver the Gifford Lectures for 2001 in the University of Edinburgh, I rashly chose the title Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics. I was interested in this divergence between philosophical and popular ethical concerns, and the reasons for its persistence. The topic proved fruitful and more recalcitrant than I had expected. With the help of a thoughtful and encouraging audience in Edinburgh, and of numerous suggestions and comments from friends and colleagues, I have explored a wider terrain than I had originally intended. I have come to think that many recent discussions of both autonomy and of trust are unconvincing, and that this matters greatly for the ways in which we think about ethical questions that arise in the practice of medicine, science and biotechnology.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2002

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  • Preface
  • Onora O'Neill, Newnham College, Cambridge
  • Book: Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics
  • Online publication: 06 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511606250.001
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  • Preface
  • Onora O'Neill, Newnham College, Cambridge
  • Book: Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics
  • Online publication: 06 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511606250.001
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • Onora O'Neill, Newnham College, Cambridge
  • Book: Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics
  • Online publication: 06 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511606250.001
Available formats
×