Ethox Seminar - Values Frameworks as Ideal Types: Navigating Ethics Conflicts with Normative Minorities
Dr Autumn Fiester, Vice Chair for Education, Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Tuesday, 10 June 2025, 10.30am to 12pm
This will be a hybrid seminar in LG Seminar Room 1, Big Data Institute (Old Road Campus), and on Zoom (see joining link below).
Abstract
In this talk, I will claim that conflicting value systems between healthcare providers (HCPs) and surrogate decision-makers (SDMs) lie at the root of many intractable end-of-life treatment disputes. I categorize these disparate value systems as Weberian “Ideal Types” to provide a framework for navigating this species of conflict. I argue that the most prevalent value system of HCPs might be understood as a “Best Interest Values” (BIV) hierarchy and that this value system is irreconcilable with the set of “Life-Continuation Values” (LCV) held by a sizable number of families who comprise a “normative minority.” I believe that HCPs facing seemingly intractable conflict with SDMs would be aided by understanding their BIV values framework as just one of other cogent values systems in the context of ethical pluralism. I worry that there is a pervasive hegemony by the dominant BIV values system against the normative minorities who hold an LCV worldview, and I argue that this hegemony is neither fair nor constructive. While my analysis is focused on American society, I am eager to engage with the audience about this framework’s applicability in the UK context.
Bio
Autumn Fiester, PhD, is Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Fiester is the Faculty Program Director for the Master of Bioethics (MBE) and Master of Science in Medical Ethics (MSME) degrees. She is the Director of the Penn Program in Clinical Conflict Management, which promotes conflict resolution training for clinical providers and clinical ethics consultants. Dr. Fiester conducts workshops in conflict management throughout the US and abroad. She serves in the role of Academic Conflict Management Consultant in the School of Arts and Sciences, working with academic units on strategic vision, improved communication, mediation, and organizational development. Dr. Fiester has been a member of several international bioethics initiatives including projects in Tanzania, the EU, the UAE, Singapore, and Japan. She is author of over 100 publications in the areas of clinical ethics, clinical conflict management, LGBT bioethics, and medical ethics education. Dr. Fiester is the recipient of the University of Pennsylvania's Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.