Ethics and Empirical Knowledge: A Critical Ethical, Partially Detached Interpretation of Experiences of Relatives of Patients Who Received Euthanasia

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Abstract

The use of empirical data in ethics is on the rise. At the same time, its role in “discovering the good” is much debated. Many scholars—especially those rooted in a modernist, liberal philosophical thinking and influenced by the natural sciences discourse—claim that ethicists should detach from their own considered moral judgments. Others are in favor of disclosing one’s own moral presuppositions in advance. Both positions can be difficult for Christian and other religious ethicists. Detachment could make ethical reflection meaningless and disclosure could alienate the ethicist from their interlocutors. In this article, we propose a four-step framework for the meaningful synthesis of empirical knowledge and ethical reflection. As a case, we use materials from our recently published collection of lived experiences of relatives of patients who received euthanasia.

Keywords: ethics, empirical knowledge, euthanasia, theological ethics, detachment

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Cite as: A. Stef Groenewoud and Theo A. Boer, “Ethics and Empirical Knowledge: A Critical Ethical, Partially Detached Interpretation of Experiences of Relatives of Patients Who Received Euthanasia,” Ethics & Medicine 38, no. 1–2 (2022): Early access.

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About the Author

Theo A. Boer, PhD
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Theo A. Boer, PhD is a full professor of Health Care Ethics at the Protestant Theological University in Utrecht. From 2014–2019, he held the Lindeboom chair of Health Care Ethics at Kampen Theological University. From 2005–2014, Dr. Boer served on a Governmental Review Committee on Euthanasia. In the (American) Society of Christian Ethics, Dr. Boer chairs the Interest Group on Evangelical Ethics. He is a member of the Dutch Health Council, advising the Government on matters of health care policy and ethics. He lives near Utrecht in the Netherlands, is married with two children, and is an active member of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands.

A. Stef Groenewoud, PhD
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A. Stef Groenewoud, PhD is Endowed Professor of Medical Ethics at Theologische Universiteit—Utrecht, the Netherlands and a Health Scientist / Ethicist at the Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Stef holds a PhD in health sciences (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and a Master of Philosophy (Applied Ethics - University of Utrecht). Stef is board member of the European Association for Centers of Medical Ethics (EACME) and Chief Editor of the Health Services Research and Regions journal.

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