한스 요나스의 책임윤리와 의학

Abstract

This article considers Hans Jonas's responsibility ethics in the context of the medical ethics and law. In the debates about the medical ethics and law, an important but often neglected issue is what is the new risk which we encounter with the result that we have new power through the advance of medicine. I try to show how Jonas explain this issue and what is his solution. A number of people prophesied of Utopia to come, but now we realize their prophecy failed. Jonas suggests that we can realize our responsibilities if and only when we fear future disasters correctly. He asserts that we must take the responsibilities of the future generations, exactly the existence of human beings, because we have the power over them. His approach is clearly different from M. Weber's responsibility ethics because his conception of responsibility is synthetic, perpetual and future-oriented. Jonas believes that we have right answers about new medical problems only according to this perspective. I try to show how his ethical philosophy applies to the medical problems in the modern age: the extension of life, contraception, abortion, human clone, the rejection of treatment, and the discontinuance of care.