Philosophy: Specialization Philosophy, Bioethics and Health

Are you interested in philosophy and medical ethics? Then the Philosophy, Bioethics and Health could be your next challenge!


The programme will provide you with the theoretical and practical tools to deal with ethical issues in health care and health-care policy. You will learn how to reflect on practical problems from a medical, moral, legal, political and economic perspective. The need for interdisciplinary reflection is growing as developments within society lead to new challenges in health care. Take the shifts in responsibility for example: patients are expected to 'manage' their own health and insurers are becoming responsible for both the cost and the quality of health-care provisions. In addition, there are many rapid scientific and technological developments to take into account: from knowledge of the genetic basis of diseases, pre-implantation diagnosis and IVF, to the use of plastic surgery for aesthetic enhancement. Then there are the problems of just allocation caused by the growing number of treatment options for all kinds of diseases and the growing number of people living well into old age. Such developments cause a change in the medical ethical agenda. The programme aims to educate professionals in philosophy and medical ethics and foster their capacity to reflect on these issues.