What features define human life? How do individuals and communities understand and withstand suffering and pain? What is good dying? In our time, these essential human questions are often viewed primarily as issues in bioethics. In reality, these are not exclusively medical or bioethical enquiries. Rather, they are questions that all human individuals and societies ultimately wrestle with.
This course seeks to address these issues, bringing theological and medical ethics, as well as different views on what it means to be human, into conversation with each other. Using an approach that will enrich the practice of medical practitioners and empower the engagement of lay Christians, we will consider the relationship between healthcare professions and Christian communities. We will also look at some specific issues—notably including death-and-dying and addiction—to highlight the valuable contributions of theological anthropology to the ethics conversations that are ongoing in both professional and lay settings today. Learners will come away with tools to think about and engage with critical health issues that are confronting those who work in the medical system and those who seek medical care alike.