Ethics and Medical Technology: Essays on Artificial Intelligence, Enhancement, Privacy, and Justice

by Matthew C. Altman (Editor), David Schwan (Editor)

Overview

This book provides a comprehensive survey of ethical issues raised by advanced medical technologies. The field’s leading authorities explore how artificial intelligence, telehealth,
robot caregivers, genetic therapies and enhancement, stem cell research,
neurotechnology, electronic health records, data collection, and digital nudging are reshaping the landscape of medical practice. Organized around core ethical themes, the chapters consider how new and emerging technologies transform personal identity, the provider-patient relationship, privacy and autonomy, and social equity. Contributors clarify the complex values involved in medical innovation and practice, and explore what is at stake in the current ethical debates around these issues. While offering a valuable introduction for advanced students, professional philosophers, medical ethicists, and policymakers, this book also advances the scholarly discussion by presenting original theses and arguments, making it essential reading for specialists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031946899
Publisher:	Springer Nature Switzerland
Publication date:	08/18/2025
Series:	The International Library of Bioethics , #113
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Matthew C. Altman has published three single-authored monographs: A Theory of Legal
Punishment (2021), Kant and Applied Ethics (2011), and A Companion to Kant’s “Critique of
Pure Reason” (2008). He is co-author of The Hackett Introduction to Medical Ethics (2025)
and The Fractured Self in Freud and German Philosophy (2013). Prior to this edited volume,
Altman edited The Palgrave Handbook on the Philosophy of Punishment (2023), The
Palgrave Kant Handbook (2017), and The Palgrave Handbook of German Idealism (2014). He serves as series editor for Palgrave Handbooks in German Idealism and Palgrave
Handbooks in the Philosophy of Law. David Schwan specializes in applied ethics and moral psychology, with a current focus on the ethical dimensions of emerging medical technologies. His work has appeared in the Hastings Center Report, Bioethics, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, and
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics. [Note: Although Dr. Altman is farther along in his career and has more publications than Dr. Schwan, we want to emphasize that this is a co-edited volume, with work done by both Altman and Schwan. This sort of detailed summary of our accomplishments may be used for advertising purposes. On the back cover of the book itself, we will want more abbreviated biographies, like this: Matthew C. Altman is Chair and Professor of Philosophy at Central Washington University and Commissioner for Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 1.
David Schwan is Senior Lecturer of Philosophy at Central Washington University.]

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction (David Schwan).- Part 1: The Patient Experience.- Chapter 2. Telemedicine and the Doctor-patient Relationship (Simona Tiribelli).- Chapter 3. Advanced Technologies and the Care Environment (David Schwan).- Chapter 4. Artificial Intelligence: Reliability and Patient Safety (Luciano Floridi).- Chapter 5. Artificial Intelligence and Racial Bias (Ryan Tonkens).- Part 2: Regenerative Medicine and Enhancement Technologies.- Chapter 6. Gene-based Medicine (Including Personalized Medicine) (Mara Almeida).- Chapter 7. Genome Editing (Including CRISPR) (Bryan Cwik).- Chapter 8. Cell Therapy (Including Stem Cell Therapies) (Lars Assen).- Chapter 9. Enhancement Technology and Gene Doping (Julian Savulescu).- Part 3: Big Data, Privacy, and Autonomy.- Chapter 10. Data Mining and Consent (Including Electronic Health Records and Wearable Tech) (Bonnie Kaplan).- Chapter 11. Big Data and Surveillance (e.g., Contact Tracing, Traveling for Abortion Access) (Lauren Nuckols).- Chapter 12. Psychological Targeting (from Digital Footprint) and Digital “nudging” for Patient Health Outcomes (Matthew C. Altman).- Part 4: Technology and Justice.- Chapter 13. Equity Issues Arising from Access to Medical Technology: It Exacerbates Existing Inequalities (Caroline Brall).- Chapter 14. Equity Issues Arising from Access to Medical Technology: It Provides Broader Access and More Just Distribution of Healthcare (Marzyeh Ghassemi).