1991/02/01 by Albert R. Jonsen · 2 citations
Health Professions · #Ethics in medical practice
paper · doi:10.1093/jmp/16.1.113
openalex publication_date 1991/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The theology of John Calvin has deeply affected the American mentality through two streams of thought, Puritanism and Jansenism. These traditions formulate moral problems in terms of absolute, clear principles and avoid casuistic analysis of moral problems. This approach is designated American moralism. This article suggests that the bioethics movement in the United States was stimulated by the moralistic mentality but that the work of the bioethics has departed from this viewpoint.