Fragmentation and Consensus: Communitarian and Casuist Bioethics, by Mark G. Kuczewski. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1997. 177 pp.

Abstract

At the level of theoretical foundations, contemporary bioethics is to a large extent Balkanized. Without difficulty, one can find contributions from communitarians, consequentialists, and feminists, as well as those who advocate “the principle approach,” an “ethics of care,” and “narrative ethics.” The problem is not so much the wide diversity of views as the lack of agreement over the basics of medical ethics. For that reason alone, any attempt to find (or induce) some harmony among these many diverse voices is a welcome addition to the literature. Fragmentation and Consensus is such an attempt. Kuczewski argues that both communitarianism and casuistry can be understood as neo-Aristotelian approaches to ethics, and that once these views are “purged of non-Aristotelian elements” communitarianism and casuistry are found to be highly complementary. In the process of constructing his theory, Kuczewski also finds room for liberal political theory and narrative ethics. The resulting amalgam is interesting, and the project ambitious.