Bioethics: A Coursebook

Reviewed by Ian Werkheiser, Professor, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 1/1/26

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book adopts a broad, holistic understanding of bioethics. In the spirit of Van Rensselaer Potter’s original vision, the book treats bioethics as an ethics of life that encompasses human health, non-human animals, and ecological systems. Alongside chapters on moral theory and health care ethics, it includes substantive treatments of environmental ethics, animal experimentation, epigenetics, and synthetic biology, as well as culturally inflected approaches such as literary bioethics and bioart. This wide scope allows students to see how ethical issues in medicine, science, and the environment are interconnected, making the book especially valuable for courses that aim to situate bioethics within broader social and ecological contexts. Given this approach, many subjects are necessarily brief, and so the book may have to be supplemented with other readings in a more advanced class.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text is accurate in its presentation of core concepts and debates, drawing on established philosophical frameworks (e.g., discussions of normative ethical theories) and contemporary scientific contexts (e.g., epigenetics and synthetic biology). The rigorous integration of concrete examples, such as Arthur Galston’s involvement in the Agent Orange controversy in Chapter 1, reflects fidelity to interdisciplinary source material.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book’s focus on both classic and contemporary issues from healthcare allocation to environmental ethics and BioArt positions it well for current and future audiences. Its inclusion of emerging domains like exposomics and theoretical lenses such as environmental and feminist ethics suggests it will remain a relevant teaching resource as the field evolves. It is possible that its treatment of AI will need to be updated as this emerging technology progresses.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is written with a high degree of clarity appropriate for its intended audience of undergraduate and early graduate students. Core concepts in moral theory and applied bioethics are introduced in a straightforward manner, with technical terms explained in context rather than assumed. While the interdisciplinary scope occasionally requires readers to shift between philosophical, scientific, and cultural modes of analysis, the authors consistently signal these transitions, helping students understand how different forms of inquiry contribute to ethical reflection.

Consistency rating: 5

Across its chapters, the volume maintains a consistent interdisciplinary ethos, framing bioethical inquiry as intertwined with philosophical reasoning and scientific practice. Each chapter reflects the COMPOST Collective’s shared commitment to embedding ethics within broader life-science and social contexts, avoiding abrupt shifts in tone or focus.

Modularity rating: 4

The textbook is modular and flexible, with chapters that can be taught independently or rearranged to suit different course designs. Short, self-contained chapters (e.g., “Environmental Ethics” and “Bioethics and (Bio)Art”) allow instructors to assign select units without requiring linear progression through the entire book. That said, it would probably be helpful to include the introductory chapter “Bioethics: A Global Approach” to situate the motivation behind including the other disparate sections in a book on bioethics.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The structure moves logically from general to specific: starting with foundational frameworks (“Bioethics: A Global Approach” and “Moral Theories”), then progressing to applied topics in health, animal ethics, and novel scientific domains, and finishing with broader cultural engagements (literary and artistic). This flow balances conceptual grounding with topical diversity.

Interface rating: 5

The book is easy to access and navigate digitally, and had no distortions to graphics when I viewed it on a computer and a mobile device. The table of contents clearly lists chapter titles with embedded hyperlinks in the table of contents for ease of navigation, and the CC BY-NC license supports wide use and adaptation for teaching. The book does not utilize all the dynamic interface and graphics options that ebooks can have, but that allows for easier access for students with technological limitations (chapters could be printed out or downloaded easily).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The prose throughout is clear and academically appropriate, with no notable grammar issues evident in published excerpts. The language supports comprehension by undergraduate and early graduate readers without unnecessary jargon.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The book engages culturally resonant themes, such as narrative identity in Never Let Me Go (Chapter 8) and environmental justice, and incorporates perspectives like feminist epistemology and post-humanist art practices. This pluralism situates ethical inquiry within diverse cultural and intellectual contexts.

The authors’ backgrounds (a mix of philosophers, bioethics scholars, scientists, and artist-researchers affiliated with the University of Antwerp’s COMPOST Collective) enhance the text’s interdisciplinary richness. Contributors include a full professor of bioethics, doctoral researchers with expertise in philosophy of science, synthetic biology, and environmental ethics, as well as artist-researchers engaged in BioArt and other creative practices, reflecting the book’s commitment to bridging theory, empirical science, and culture.