'철학적인' 의료윤리학 논문에 대한 통계적 분석: 학회지 논문 102편을 중심으로

This article attempts to evaluate Korean research on medical ethics today and propose a reasonable direction for future research. The evaluation is based on an analysis of the 102 articles published in The Korean Journal of Medical Ethics from 2003 to 2009. First, I classify the articles into philosophy, pedagogy, law, sociology, and the politics of medical ethics. Second, I show how interdisciplinary research on medical ethics is carried out today. Third, I analyze the 22 articles that are classified as philosophical articles with regard to their subject matter and the author’s major field of study. Forth, I subdivide the 102 articles with regard to the method of research employed. Fifth, I classify the 212 members of The Korean Society for Medical Ethics into moral philosopher, medical scientist, legal scholar, educator, and nurse. In addition, I show how many articles they produce and how much they contribute to the development of medical ethics. Finally, this article provides a philosophical critique of the concept of “medical ethics.” I argue that one should not confuse the ethical study of medical practice with the academic study of medical ethics; the first examines medical ethics philosophically; the other involves legal, political, and social studies.