School of Philosophy and Bioethics

Disciplines

Human bioethics; Philosophy

The School of Philosophy and Bioethics pursues a deeper understanding of what people are doing when they reason and make moral choices. The major research strengths of the school lie in logic and metaphysics, applied ethics and moral philosophy.

The school runs programs in two disciplines: philosophy and bioethics, each of which articulates conceptions of the nature of the world we live in and offers conceptions of life within a tolerant, liberal society. Research and teaching are conducted with reference to traditional theoretical frameworks as well as to the study of contemporary issues, at times challenging some of the traditional notions and leading to theory development and modification. Fields of study within the school include the history of ideas, world religions, and contemporary issues such as ethics in a changing world.

Foundational ethical frameworks are brought to bear on specific issues in political theory, in professional ethics, and especially in dealing with the moral concerns that arise out of the application of new scientific advances to human subjects.

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of fundamental ideas about the world we live in. It questions the nature of our world, asks what would constitute a good life in such a world, and asks what could be done to make it better.

Students are not expected to be persuaded by the doctrines of any one school or tradition. Rather, we seek to deepen the understanding of a variety of different world views. Students are encouraged to express any conclusions they themselves may have reached concerning foundational questions, but they are also expected to try to understand some of the influential conclusions others have reached. Furthermore, it is essential that students try to understand what reasons people have had for reaching those conclusions. Thus, we strongly encourage students to study the theory of reasoning (logic) if they intend to major in philosophy.

The following are some other areas of study that are central to philosophy. Metaphysics is the study of what sorts of things exist in the world, and how they are related: for instance, whether there is a mind or soul and if so, how it is related to the body. Epistemology is the study of what constitutes knowledge of the world, and of what methods can be used to obtain it. Ethics and aesthetics investigate what it is to make value judgements, and how such judgements can be justified. Political philosophy attempts to discover the principles that underlie the structure of a good society. Philosophy of language investigates the notions of meaning, truth and linguistic understanding. Philosophy of mind studies the nature of the conscious mind.

Every human inquiry rests on general assumptions, which we take for granted while we pursue more particular goals. At times however, in any discipline, foundational questions arise. Anyone facing such questions, in any discipline, is studying philosophy. Thus, for any discipline, there is an area of study appropriately described as the philosophy of that discipline, for example the philosophy of history, of psychology, of biology, of science, of law, of mathematics, and so on.

Sometimes these foundational questions within a discipline can profitably be explored by philosophers as well as by specialists in that discipline. Philosophers can draw connections between the foundational problems arising in one discipline and those arising in other disciplines. They can also attempt to integrate different disciplines, at a foundational level, into a coherent overall world view.

Because the focus of philosophical concerns varies enormously, we provide a wide range of options for study while at the same time attempting to ensure that students have some acquaintance with the central problems and traditions in philosophy. Philosophy provides skills in reasoning and argument that are applicable in a wide variety of professions as well as the opportunity to engage in a reflective appraisal of our place in the universe.

Year coordinators

Students wanting advice should first approach their tutors or lecturers in individual units. Students may also wish to approach the appropriate year-level coordinator. Year coordinators for 2007 will be Toby Handfield (first, second and third years), Monima Chadha (fourth year), Justin Oakley (graduate coursework) and Dirk Baltzly (graduate research).

Resource-based teaching and flexible delivery

Sufficient philosophy units are offered in flexible mode to complete a major. All these units can be taken in any semester and are flexibly scheduled so that class commitments are kept to a minimum. Flexible learning mode units are also available in the summer and in off-campus learning mode. These units use materials prepared specifically for off-campus students, but there is also a tutorial support service operating by telephone, fax and email. These basic resources are usually supplemented by workshops. Attendance at these workshops is optional. The intention is that the flexible learning program should make philosophy units available to students whose work or other commitments make it difficult for them to attend regular classes on-campus. For more details on flexible learning units, contact room W905 in the philosophy office or visit its website.

Closely associated with resource-based teaching is an alternative assessment program. The Keller Plan is used in most of these units. In the plan, a series of assessment tasks are completed in a specified order. Typically, the series involves short exercises, an essay and tests. Each task has to be completed at a satisfactory standard before moving on to the next, but students nominate the standard to count as satisfactory (pass, credit or distinction) and can retry on any task until that standard is achieved.

A first-year sequence in philosophy is the normal prerequisite for later-year philosophy units. However, some later-year units have only one philosophy unit as a prerequisite, and some others have no philosophy prerequisite at all.

For information on the units required for a major or minor in philosophy, refer to the ‘Areas of study’ section on the Arts faculty website at www.arts.monash.edu.au/current/coursework/study-areas/.

Bioethics

The growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine, genetics and the biological sciences has led to a number of ethical problems which perplex all of us, but especially those in the health care field. Is human embryonic stem cell research justified by the prospect it offers of alleviating some of the most debilitating diseases? Is genetic enhancement of humans ethically justified? Is it unethical to select embryos for implantation on the basis of sex? Should research designed to find 'gay genes' be conducted given that the results of such work might be used against homosexual people? Should we proceed with research trying to clone people? Does the fact that we can prolong the life of a patient in a permanent vegetative state mean that we should do so? At the Centre for Human Bioethics (CHB), we are attempting to develop our ethical thinking so as to keep pace with advances in biomedical technology. Furthermore, we can anticipate future developments and assess what we might do if and when these anticipated developments become a reality.

For information on the units required for a minor in bioethics, refer to the ‘Areas of study’ section on the Arts faculty website at www.arts.monash.edu.au/current/coursework/study-areas/.

Relevant courses

For details of the following courses, see ‘Outline of undergraduate studies’ section:

Bachelor of Arts (and associated double degrees)
Bachelor of Arts (Global)
Bachelor of Letters
Diploma in Arts (Philosophy)

Contact details

Centre for Human Bioethics

Telephone inquiries: +61 3 9905 4279 or email: philosophy@arts.monash.edu.au

General inquiries

(Clayton): Room W907, West Wing, Menzies building; Telephone +61 3 9905 3209; Email philosophy@arts.monash.edu.au or visit www.arts.monash.edu.au/schools/plb/

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