Anthropology, Bioethics, and Medicine: A Provocative Trilogy

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Abstract
This article investigates the contributions anthropological perspectives can make to the field of bioethics. Four dimensions of an anthropological approach to bioethics are presented: the contextual nature of bioethical dilemmas; the cultural embeddedness of moral systems; the culturally pluralistic character of many bioethical problems; and the examination of the field of bioethics as a cultural phenomenon. The discussion explores how moral dilemmas and the means to resolve them are inextricably bound to their institutional, economic, and social contexts, how different cultural systems have different moral codes with different standards for behavior, and how bioethical conflicts often arise in culturally plural health care settings. In addition, it discusses the challenge offered to anthropologists to examine the values, cognitive framework, and social organization of bioethics. The article concludes with a discussion of ways that anthropological methods and knowledge can be applied in the bioethics arena.