Paul Ramsey

Robert Paul Ramsey (December 10, 1913 – February 29, 1988) was an American Christian ethicist of the 20th century. He was a Methodist and his primary focus in ethics was medical ethics. The major portion of his academic career was spent as a tenured professor at Princeton University until the end of his life in 1988. His most notable contributions to ethics were in the fields of Christian ethics, bioethics, just war theory and common law.

Life Paul Ramsey undertook his doctoral studies at Yale where he was mentored by H. Richard Niebuhr. He subsequently taught Christian Ethics at Princeton. Ramsay has been credited with laying the intellectual foundations of bioethics and informed consent through his book The Patient as Person, which has continued to be a standard text in medical ethics across multiple editions. His book Basic Christian Ethics has been used as a seminary book for decades, but his greatest impact on social thought came through his examination of medical issues, such as abortion, euthanasia and genetic control. He has been credited with re-introducing just war theory into Protestant ethical reflection.

Education and teachings at Princeton Ramsey earned his bachelor's degree from Millsaps College, and both his bachelor of divinity and doctorate from Yale University.

He became a Professor of History and Social Sciences at his alma mater, and then served as an assistant Professor of Christian ethics at Garrett Bible Institute.

In 1944, Ramsey joined the faculty at Princeton University as the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion.

He was elected a member of the Institute Of Medicine in 1972 for his contributions to the field of bioethics.

Views

Bioethics Ramsey aligned himself with deontologial normative theories, rather than the Roman Catholic teachings of relative autonomy of natural law and morality.

The Patient as Person: Explorations in Medical Ethics (1970) The Patient as Person: Explorations in Medical Ethics is a book written by Ramsey centered around biomedical ethics. He discusses the ethical principle of consent in the medical field and the care of those already dying. He also discusses the medical actions and ramifications of organ donation, tying into the topic of consent. This book considers more deeply health care and the benefits allocated to each individual depending on needs. This book gained renown for its ability to tackle controversial topics while providing scrutinizing theories that question the relationship and confidentiality of the patient and physician.

The Ethics of Fetal Research (1975) The Ethics of Fetal Research discusses Ramsey's views on the action of experimentation done on fetuses, particularly those that are still alive. This book examines both drug experimentation and testing, as well as discusses the foundations and fundamentals of moral medical policies.