What is the main goal of framing health and care as ethical concepts?
To understand health and care as moral constructs—showing how definitions shape rights, duties, justice claims, and ethical policy decisions
What moral question do definitions of health and care raise?
They reveal what and whom we value—each definition implies a moral goal, agent, and community.
What are the three ethical layers involved in defining health or care?
Epistemic – who defines it
Moral – what duties arise
Political – how power flows
descriptive
what health is
measurable, statistical
normative
what health ought to be
moral, social, political, aspirational
from descriptive to normative - what do ethics ask?
who decides, whose suffering counts, and what duties follow?
How does the WHO (1946) definition of health present an ethical tension?
It’s ethically visionary (includes social well-being) but promotes moral perfectionism—an unattainable ideal implying failure in any imperfection.
What does the biomedical model define as health, and what is its ethical limitation?
- Defines health as the absence of disease
- Ethics focus: diagnosis, repair, control
- Risks include reductionism, patient passivity, and exclusion of chronic illness.
How does the biopsychosocial model expand moral responsibility?
It integrates biological, psychological, and social factors—shifting moral duty from individuals to shared systems.
What is the ethical insight from the social determinants of health?
Health inequities are structural injustices, not natural differences. Justice requires redesigning systems, not just treating symptoms.
What is the main idea of the Capability Approach?
Health = capability to live the life one values (Sen & Nussbaum). The moral goal is expanding freedom and opportunity.
What does ecological/planetary health emphasize ethically?
Health depends on human–environment interdependence. Justice extends to sustainability and future generations
What is the ethical paradox of healthcare’s environmental burden?
Healthcare systems save lives but also cause ~5% of global GHG emissions—violating nonmaleficence at a planetary scale.
What are the main ethical tensions in digital health?
Autonomy vs. paternalism and privacy vs. prediction; algorithms redefine “health” through data surveillance.
What is epistemic injustice in health?
When certain groups’ knowledge (e.g., Indigenous, patient, marginalized) is discredited or excluded—creating moral harm.
What are the competing moral visions in defining health?
Control (biomedical)
Flourishing (capability)
Sustainability (planetary)
Recognition (epistemic justice)
How is care defined ethically?
Care is an action, disposition, and moral stance toward vulnerability—rooted in attention, responsibility, and interdependence.
What is the difference between cure and care?
Cure = technical success
Care = moral relationship emphasizing empathy and presence.
Who are key thinkers in care ethics and their contributions?
Carol Gilligan (1982): Moral reasoning grounded in relationships
Joan Tronto (1993): Four elements of care—attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness.
What is the ethical issue with care labor?
Care work is undervalued, feminized, and racialized—creating moral inequality and structural injustice.
How is burnout viewed in care ethics?
As moral exhaustion, not just stress. Institutions offload moral responsibility onto individuals.
How do justice and care ethics differ?
Justice: Impartial, rule-based
Care: Relational, contextual
Ethical maturity integrates both.
How does technology reshape care?
Through telehealth, AI, and digital monitoring—raising ethical questions about authenticity and moral responsibility.
What is “relational autonomy”?
The idea that autonomy is achieved through relationships, not independence—important in disability and aging ethics.
