Medical Ethics in China: A Transcultural Interpretation

While the proverbial "twain" of China and the West has long since met, deeply rooted stereotypes and myths die hard in bioethics, as in the public mind. Cross-cultural understanding is prone to a number of common pitfalls such as dichotomizing different cultures as "radical others", oversimplifying the differences between China and the West and deeming the current dominant or official position as the only authentic representative of the culture concerned. Drawing from a wide range of primary historical and sociological sources, this book presents medical ethics in China from a Chinese-Western comparative perspective, and in doing so it provides a fascinating exploration of cultural differences and commonalities exhibited by China and the West in medicine and medical ethics. The book focuses on a number of key issues in medical ethics including: attitudes towards foetuses; disclosure of information by medical professionals; informed consent; professional medical ethics; and human rights. This careful examination of particular topics not only provides insights into Chinese viewpoints, but also sheds light on the appropriate methods for comparative culture and ethical research. Through its analysis Jing-Bao Nie seeks to put forward a theory of "transcultural bioethics", an ethics which upholds the primacy of morality whilst resisting cultural stereotypes, and appreciates the internal plurality, richness, dynamism and openness of medical ethics in any culture.