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Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking
Thesis (DPhil (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
2010
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| _version_ | 1867614141164814336 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Horn, Lynette Margaret |
| author2 | Van Niekerk, Anton A. |
| author_browse | Horn, Lynette Margaret Van Niekerk, Anton A. |
| author_facet | Van Niekerk, Anton A. Horn, Lynette Margaret |
| author_sort | Horn, Lynette Margaret |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | University of Stellenbosch |
| description | Thesis (DPhil (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/5418 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:19.123Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publishDateRange | 2010 |
| publishDateSort | 2010 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/5418 Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking Horn, Lynette Margaret Van Niekerk, Anton A. University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. Virtue ethics Public health ethics Social justice Public health Health policy Medical policy Dissertations -- Philosophy Theses -- Philosophy Thesis (DPhil (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation has two quite separate and rather different starting points. The first centres on the significant renaissance of virtue ethics as a moral theory that has occurred in the last 50 years. The second starting point is embedded in the recent discourse about the need for an ethical framework for public-health policymaking. (Up until now the ethical theories of deontology, manifested as either a ‘principlebased’ or ‘human-rights’ approach, and utilitarianism, have provided the theoretical background to this discourse.) When these two starting points fuse, the question arising – can character or virtue ethics contribute positively to the moral debates surrounding many vexing public-health issues? – seeks an answer. Broadly speaking, the ethics of public-health policymaking deals with ethical issues that occur within the macro-environment and that arise out of relationships between entities other than individuals, for example, states, regions, institutions, etcetera, and the policies in terms of which these interactions are regulated. Public health ethics ‘seeks to find a balance between the notions of ‘common good’ or ‘public interest’ and individual autonomy. I plan to investigate whether a virtue-based ethics, -which is concerned with a notion of human flourishing that is not primarily atomistic but intricately linked to the mutual well being of others and to notions of what the ‘good life for man’ means within the context of a shared history and connectedness with fellow human beings,- could contribute positively to current ‘public health ethics’ discourse. I believe that an exploration of the ethical basis of public health decision-making, focusing particularly on virtue ethics, but also examining other approaches like utilitarianism, principlebased approaches and the human-rights approach, will make a positive and original contribution to this area of philosophical discourse. Chapter one is an introduction which provides the rationale and motivation for the dissertation and briefly introduces the layout of each subsequent chapter. Chapter two is a concept analysis of ‘public health’ and justifies why I argue that the concept of public health is contingent, and ought to be contingent on an inextricably linked, and context appropriate concept of social justice. In this chapter I clarify the scope of the concept of public health used for this dissertation. Chapter three is an in-depth literature review of virtue ethics and similarly the next chapter is a literature review of the current status of public health ethics. Chapter five is entitled “Virtue Ethics, Social Justice and Public health”. My overall aim in this dissertation is to consider if virtue ethics as a moral theory can contribute positively to the practice of public health and thus by inference to an underlying concept of social justice. This receives in-depth consideration in this chapter. In chapter six I explore virtue theory in relation to public health from various other perspectives. In particular I return to MacIntyre to consider his concept of a ‘practice’1 which I apply specifically to the domain of public health, exploring the concepts of “extrinsic goods” and “intrinsic goods”, and how they translate to the practice of public health. Chapter VII is entitled “Theory and Practice: Critical Perspectives”. In this chapter I explore the challenges of adapting philosophical theory to actual context. I focus particularly on the problems of public health policy within a Southern African context. I conclude this dissertation by conceding that while virtue ethics can indeed make a positive contribution in some respects, its applicability is largely limited to public health problems that pertain to specific localised contexts. It has very limited applicability as an ethical theory or framework for trans-global public health issues, and public health issues influenced by global politics and economics. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling het twee heeltemal afsonderlike en taamlik uiteenlopende uitgangspunte. Die eerste handel oor die beduidende oplewing in deugde-etiek as 'n morele teorie oor die afgelope 50 jaar. Die tweede uitgangspunt is veranker in die onlangse diskoers oor die behoefte aan 'n etiese raamwerk vir die bepaling van openbaregesondheidsbeleid. (Tot dusver het die etiese teoriee van deontologie, hetsy in die vorm van . 'beginselgegronde' of 'menseregte'-benadering, en utilitarisme as teoretiese grondslag vir hierdie diskoers gedien.) Wanneer hierdie twee uitgangspunte egter byeenkom, ontstaan die vraag: Kan karakter- of deugdeetiek 'n positiewe bydrae tot die morele debatte oor talle netelige openbaregesondheidskwessies lewer? Oor die algemeen handel etiek in die bepaling van openbaregesondheidsbeleid oor etiese kwessies in die makro-omgewing wat ontstaan vanuit die wisselwerking tussen entiteite anders as individue, soos state, streke en instellings, en die beleid wat hierdie wisselwerking reguleer. Openbaregesondheidsetiek is daarop uit om 'n balans te vind tussen die konsepte 'algemene welsyn' of 'openbare belang', en individuele outonomie. Hierdie ondersoek beoog om vas te stel of 'n deugdegegronde etiek 'n wat gemoeid is met 'n konsep van menslike welstand wat nie grootliks atomisties is nie, maar ten nouste verband hou met die onderlinge welstand van ander, en 'n begrip van 'die goeie lewe' in die konteks van 'n gedeelde geskiedenis en verbondenheid met ander mense 'n positief tot die huidige diskoers oor 'openbaregesondheidsetiek' kan bydra. Die navorser argumenteer dat 'n ondersoek van die etiese grondslag van besluitneming oor openbare gesondheid, met 'n bepaalde klem op deugde-etiek, dog ook 'n nuwe bydrae tot ander benaderings soos 'n utilitaristiese benadering, beginselgegronde benaderings en die menseregtebenadering, 'n positiewe en oorspronklike bydrae tot hierdie filosofiese diskoers (kan) lewer. Hoofstuk 1 bied 'n inleiding wat die beweegrede en motivering vir die verhandeling uiteensit, en verduidelik kortliks die uitleg van elke daaropvolgende hoofstuk. Hoofstuk 2 is 'n konseptuele ontleding van 'openbare gesondheid', en ondersteun die navorser se betoog dat die konsep van openbare gesondheid afhanklik is en afhanklik behoort te wees van . kontekstoepaslike begrip van sosiale geregtigheid wat onlosmaaklik daarmee verbind is. In hierdie hoofstuk word die betekenis en omvang van die begrip 'openbare gesondheid' soos dit in hierdie verhandeling gebruik word, ook verduidelik. Hoofstuk 3 bevat 'n omvattende literatuuroorsig van deugde-etiek, terwyl die daaropvolgende hoofstuk eweneens 'n literatuuroorsig van die huidige stand van openbaregesondheidsetiek behels. Hoofstuk 5 is getiteld 'Deugde-etiek, sosiale geregtigheid en openbare gesondheid'. Die oorkoepelende doelwit van hierdie verhandeling is om daaroor te besin of deugde-etiek as 'n morele teorie positief tot die praktyk van openbare gesondheid, en dus ook tot 'n onderliggende konsep van maatskaplike geregtigheid, kan bydra. Dit word omvattend in hierdie hoofstuk bespreek. In hoofstuk 6 ondersoek die navorser deugde-teorie met betrekking tot openbare gesondheid uit verskeie ander oogpunte. Die studie konsentreer in besonder op MacIntyre se konsep van . 'praktyk',2 wat bepaald op die gebied van openbare gesondheid toegepas word om so die begrippe 'ekstrinsieke goedere' en 'intrinsieke goedere', en hoe dit in die praktyk van openbare gesondheid omgesit word, te bestudeer. Hoofstuk 7, getiteld 'Teorie en praktyk: Kritiese perspektiewe', bevat . ondersoek van die uitdagings om filosofiese teorie by die werklike konteks aan te pas. Die navorser konsentreer veral op die probleme van openbaregesondheidsbeleid in Suider-Afrikaanse verband. Die verhandeling sluit af deur toe te gee dat, hoewel deugde-etiek inderdaad in sommige opsigte 'n positiewe bydrae kan lewer, die toepaslikheid daarvan grootliks tot openbaregesondheidsprobleme in bepaalde gelokaliseerde kontekste beperk is. Dit het 'n uiters beperkte nut as 'n etiek-teorie of raamwerk vir globale openbaregesondheidskwessies, en openbaregesondheidskwessies wat deur die wereldpolitiek en -ekonomie geraak word. Doctoral 2010-11-15T12:45:48Z 2010-12-15T10:43:47Z 2010-11-15T12:45:48Z 2010-12-15T10:43:47Z 2010-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/5418 en_ZA University of Stellenbosch 257 p. application/pdf Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| spellingShingle | Virtue ethics Public health ethics Social justice Public health Health policy Medical policy Dissertations -- Philosophy Theses -- Philosophy Horn, Lynette Margaret Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| title | Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| title_full | Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| title_fullStr | Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| title_full_unstemmed | Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| title_short | Virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| title_sort | virtue ethics in the development of a framework for public health policymaking |
| topic | Virtue ethics Public health ethics Social justice Public health Health policy Medical policy Dissertations -- Philosophy Theses -- Philosophy |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/5418 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hornlynettemargaret virtueethicsinthedevelopmentofaframeworkforpublichealthpolicymaking |