The role of philosophy in public policy and bioethics: introduction

Abstract

As various societies have created public commissions to help develop proposals for public policies relating to issues in bioethics, philosophers have sometimes been called upon to serve on the staff of, or to provide consultation to, these public bodies. This issue of the Journal is devoted to examining problems that arise as one tries to articulate the proper role of philosophers serving in these capacities. It includes articles by Frances M. Kamm ("The philosopher as insider and outsider"), Martin Benjamin ("Philosophical integrity and policy development in bioethics"), Richard W. Momeyer ("Philosophers and the public policy process: inside, outside, or nowhere at all?"), Paul T. Menzel ("Public philosophy: distinction without authority"), and E. Haavi Morreim (Physician investment and self-referral: philosophical analysis of a contentious debate").