This is an essential guide to understanding the growing field of phenomenological bioethics. More than 30 chapters explore its elaboration in the phenomenological literature, its key themes, and several first-person case studies bringing the theory to life. Harnessing phenomenology’s focus on subjective experience and the lived realities of individuals, this volume showcases how phenomenological bioethics is an increasingly important person-centred framework for addressing complex ethical issues in medical and health sciences. Divided into three parts, Part I explores the overlooked bioethical discussions in the work of seminal phenomenologists, from Heidegger and Husserl to Levinas, Conrad-Martius, and Fanon. Part II then introduces the central themes in phenomenological bioethics, considering both the theoretical underpinnings and their practical application in medical contexts. With a sub-section on the impact of technology, this volume covers the very latest medical technologies such as online therapy, the use of technology in hospices, and AI in healthcare. Finally, Part III introduces six first-person case studies, which throw the importance of a phenomenological approach to bioethical issues into sharp relief; these range across mental and physical health, from challenges faced by women with Borderline Personality Disorder to end of life decisions. From an international team of emerging and leading scholars, including Fredrik Svenaeus, Kay Toombs, and editor, Susi Ferrarello, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Phenomenological Bioethics is an indispensable research tool. It is the place to start for anyone seeking a broader understanding of how phenomenology and first-person experience can illuminate new ethical pathways for enhancing the well-being of both individuals and society more widely.
Susi Ferrarello is Associate Professor of Philosophy at California State University, USA. Her previous publications include: The Ethics of Love (2023), Human Emotions and the Origin of Bioethics (2021) and The Ethics of Lived Experience (Bloomsbury, 2018).
List of FiguresNotes on ContributorsIntroductionPart I: Primary Literature in Phenomenological Bioethics1. Phenomenology and Bioethics, Susi Ferrarello (California State University, USA)2. The Crisis of Bioethics and the Need for a Phenomenological TurnFredrik Svenaeus (Södertön University, Sweden)3. Towards a Husserlian Contribution to Bioethics: A Phenomenological Foundation of the Pain-Suffering RelationshipGiulia Cabra (University of Milan, Italy)4. What is Moral Distress? Sidney Kabinoff (Duquesne University, USA)5. Phenomenological Bioethics and Education in Life-Care (Lebensssorge): Husserl, Stein and Conrad-Martius Nicoletta Ghigi (University of Perugia, Italy)6. Understanding Patient Experience through Heidegger’s Way to Language Jodie Russell (University of Birmingham, UK)7. Max Scheler between Phenomenology and Bioethics. Resistance, technology, and painAlessio Musio (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy)8. The (Bio)Ethics of the Given: Dietrich von Hildebrand and His Relevance for Contemporary Bioethics and Data EthicsAlexander Montes (Fordham University, USA)9. Anxiety, World Breakdown, and the Advent of the SocialJoe Larios (Hollins University USA)10. Frantz Fanon and the social roots of human sufferingDaria Baglieria, Andrea Patti (University of Catania and Santagostino Medical Center, Italy)11. From Lack and Need to Value.Some Resources from Paci’s PhenomenologyRosario Croce (Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy)12. Edmund Pellegrino’s Healing Relationship and the Ethics of MedicineKay Toombs (Baylor University, USA)Part II: Themes in Phenomenological Bioethics13. On Validation: A Phenomenological Bioethical ReflectionMagnus Englander (Malmö University, Sweden)14. Phenomenological Bioethics and Medical GaslightingChristine Wieseler (Santa Clara University, USA)15. Autonomy in Chronic Conditions: A Dynamic DimensionMatteo Zanetti (University of Verona, Italy)16. Nana and Her CarebotMichael C. Brannigan (Salve Regina University, USA and Albany Medical College, USA)17. Embodiment, Interaction, and Synchrony: Phenomenological Distinctions Between Face-to-Face and Chatbot TherapyLaura Matthews (University of Cambridge, UK)18. The Ethics of Relating to Patients as Embodied OthersLars-Gunnar Lundh and Lo Foster (Lund University, Sweden)19. The Costs of Philosophy as CARE WorkKevin Timpe (Calvin University, USA)20. Is it Ethical to Provide Philosophical Care in Healthcare?Luis de Miranda (University of Edinburgh, UK)21. Trust as an Emotional AbilityPhilipp Schmidt-Boddy (Heidelberg University, Germany)22. The Use of AI in Health Care: A Phenomenological PerspectiveJose Luis Guerrero Quiñones and Geoffrey Dierckxsens (Universidad Panamericana, Mexico and University of Antwerp, Belgium)23. Phenomenological Reflections on Being There for the Other who Gives BirthTanja Staehler, Carl von Uslar (University of Sussex, UK)24. The Phenomenon of Ménière's Disease as an Experience of Angst and Existential DeathDavid Kaylie (Duke University, USA)Part III: First Person experience25. The Phenomenology of the Excruciating and Unidentifiable:What Can Bioethics Even Say?Shay Welch (Spelman College, USA)26. Caring for Psyborgs Zsuzsanna Chappell (Independent researcher)27. Five Days in the ICUJohn Weidenbaum (Berkeley College, USA and St. John's University, USA)28. Reflections on Receiving Emergency Room Care During a Heart Attack:The importance of empathy in the doctor-patient encounterScott D. Churchill (University of Dallas, USA)29. Sense in Madness. Responding to Richard Gipps’ On Madness: Understanding the Psychotic Mind Roxana Baiasu and Lorna Collins (University of Birmingham, UK and Independent Researcher, UK)30. On the Ambiguity of Obstetric Ultrasound: Visual Bioethics and Phenomenology in Decision-Making ProcessesNicole Miglio (Independent Researcher)