Virtue Ethics and Bioethics

This paper is framed in the context of the fundations of Bioethics and aims to determine the possibility, scope and limits of application of the moral theory known as virtue ethics to the theoretical and methodological framework of bioethics. After highlighting the reasons that led to the reinstatement of the discourse about virtue in contemporary moral philosophy and identify the main characteristics of this moral theory, will show their influence in the fields where they develop ideas and practices of bioethics, particularly in the field of medical ethics. A further reflection will confirm the additional value of virtue ethics to the deontological and utilitarian arguments in bioethics and highlight the need to think about the facts in terms of moral purpose, taking into account all the elements that compose the complex moral and to promote excellence in favor of life as the main contributions of the integration of the paradigm of virtue to bioethical discourse.