Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics [Hardcover]

Ronald Munson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534520391 | ISBN-13: 978-0534520397 | Publication Date: August 17, 1999 | Edition: 6

This text is intended for the Medical Ethics course found in philosophy departments, health/allied health, and medical schools or programs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ronald Munson is Professor of the Philosophy of Science and Medicine at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology at Harvard University. He has been a Visiting Professor at the University of California, San Diego, and the Harvard Medical School. His books include REASONING IN MEDICINE (with Daniel Albert and Michael Resnik), THE WAY OF WORDS, and THE ELEMENTS OF REASONING (with David Conway). He is the author of FAN MAIL and NIGHT VISION. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 720 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Pub Co; 6 edition (August 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534520391
• ISBN-13: 978-0534520397
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,710,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Encylopedic Approach to Bioethics, January 4, 2007

By 

David "David" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics (with InfoTrac) (Hardcover)

I am a professor who teaches Bioethics, primarily to college nursing students. I have used many textbooks over the years and have reviewed dozens. I have used Munson's text for the last 3 years. This particular edition is his strongest yet. Potential readers should be aware that Munson takes an encylopedic approach to the field. Each chapter includes a focus case, additional cases, ethical analysis, survey of the context, and a selection of articles written by bioethicists that cover a variety of opionions on the issue. This approach has both its strengths and its drawbacks. On the positive side, Munson's text is an excellent resource for faculty who wish to reduce the course to a single text. There is very little need to supplement the text in any way.

But the encylopedic approach has its drawbacks. First, each chapter is very long and slow to read. I have found resistance from students to read entire chapters. The next time I use the text I will direct the students to particular sections within the chapters. Second, and more problematic, the text is rather undeveloped in its moral theory. Munson confines his explict moral reasoning to a specific section in each chapter, often devoting no more than a short paragraph to each school of thought. In addition, Munson only rarely takes a position on these issues himself. Without a central guiding moral vision or approach, students are often left bewildered and perplexed about what to think of these issues themselves.

In the end, I believe that the strengths of Munson's text outweigh its shortcomings, though professors who are considering this volume should be aware that they will need to do a lot of focusing of class discussions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very difficult to read, March 9, 2010

By 

J. Crisp (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics (Hardcover)

I am currently taking a medical ethics class at my university and find this book impossible to get through without forcing myself. The chapters are so dense that it takes for ever to read one chapter. That would be okay if it made perfect sense but even after spending a considerable amount of time reading it I still don't get the gist. I often look things up on the internet for a simpler explanation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, January 31, 2005

By 

hpp77 (Portage, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics (with InfoTrac) (Hardcover)

This book is the text for a biomedical ethics class I am now taking. I have worked as a biomedical scientist and the authors address the issues faced by researchers and clinicians very well. Each topic is presented in context and then viewpoints of several (opposing) authors are used to illustrate the different aspects of the dilemma. This book is very helpful for all medical professionals who are interested in doing the right thing when faced with a predicament.