Stephen Holland – författare

This book provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to contemporary bioethics. It also presents provocative, philosophically informed arguments on current bioethical issues. Holland engages with debates ranging from the more familiar – such as euthanasia, advance decisions to refuse treatment, and new reproductive technologies – to the philosophical implications of recent developments in genetics, including prenatal genetic therapy, genetic enhancement and human cloning. The book is built around four crucial themes. The first is moral status: what are the implications of the moral status of human embryos or animals for our biomedical practices? The second theme – life, death and killing – looks at the ethics of ending, or failing to lengthen, human life. Holland then explores various questions of personal identity raised in contemporary bioethical debates. Finally, he presents and develops a version of the argument from nature – which continues to be influential in bioethics – in order to make sense of the objection that some biomedical innovations are �unnatural�. Structuring the discussions in this way creates an engaging introduction to bioethics that is an ideal textbook for students, whilst offering much to stimulate colleagues in the field. This second edition has been thoroughly and comprehensively updated to reflect the most recent advances in bioethics, and includes an entirely new chapter on the ethical treatment of patients in the minimally conscious state.

The study of public health aims to protect and promote the wellbeing of the public as well as reduce health inequalities. Public health ethics asks how far we should go to achieve these goals, balancing the rights and needs of individuals against those of the community. But what are these and how much weight should be given to each of them?

In the third edition of his well-loved textbook, Stephen Holland shows how philosophy is key to evaluating the suitability of public health interventions. Holland explores the key goals of public health ethics in relation to both moral and political philosophy, reflecting on our everyday intuitions about which public health policies are justified. In light of recent developments, he includes new content exploring equity and health inequalities, and on how public health information is gathered and used. The book is updated throughout with material on contemporary cases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public Health Ethics continues to provide a lively, accessible and philosophically informed introduction. As well as being an ideal student text, Holland’s systematic discussion will engage the more advanced reader and inform scholarship in the field.