Absolutely Essential: Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order

by Jonathan D. Moreno

Overview

What the end of the post-World War II global political system means for bioethics and beyond.

In Absolutely Essential, Jonathan Moreno explores the field of bioethics as both a creature and a key element of the post–World War II rules-based order. According to this order, international relations are to be organized according to principles of open markets, liberal democracy, and multilateral organizations.

Drawing on the author’s four decades of experience in the field, the book raises key questions about the future of bioethics in a changed world order, while also theorizing new ways to think about bioethics after the COVID-19 pandemic and the reordering of global alliances. For bioethicists, this book will contextualize the field in an entirely new light, while readers unfamiliar with bioethics will appreciate that this seemingly esoteric field is in fact a paradigmatic creation of the global system now undergoing sweeping change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262384766
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Series:	Basic Bioethics
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224

About the Author

Jonathan D. Moreno is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as a staff member or adviser to many governmental and nongovernmental organizations, including three US presidential commissions, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee. He is a recipient of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Lifetime Achievement Award.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Bioethics and the rules-based international order don't usually find their way into the same sentence, but Jonathan Moreno's masterful history of the development of the international framework for protecting human rights, human dignity, and human agency when pursuing scientific breakthroughs underscores what is at stake today when governments, including our own, seek to dismantle that order."
—John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton

“With the crumbling of international ethical norms, Moreno’s work is more necessary than ever. It's time for bioethics to undergo a radical transformation in the twenty-first century not only in light of massive technological change but also because of seismic geopolitical reordering. This book is the basis for a bioethical revolution.”
—Julian Savulescu, Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics

“Jonathan Moreno has traced the history of the traditions, laws, and policies that have blurred the principles and obligations of healers and practitioners. Every doctor, especially those in military service, should read and study his treatise, to comprehend and uphold the highest traditions and honor of the healing professions.”
—Stephen N. Xenakis, Brigadier General (Ret.), US Army

“If you care about the future of the human race, you should read this book.”
—Mark Leibovich, staff writer for The Atlantic

“Absolutely Essential should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand what’s at stake in today’s turbulent political and social landscape when it comes to medicine. As rising political forces challenge the foundations of the post–World War II rules-based order, Moreno—one of the world’s foremost bioethicists—offers a compelling examination of the consequences for public health."
—Sharon Weinberger, author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World