Robert Paul Ramsey (December 10, 1913 – February 29, 1988) was an American Christian ethicist of the 20th century. He was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and his primary focus in ethics was

medical ethics Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research. Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. T ...

. The major portion of his academic career was spent as a tenured professor at Princeton University until the end of his life in 1988. His most notable contributions to ethics were in the fields of Christian ethics,

bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...

just war theory The just war theory () is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of #Criteria, criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. I ...

and

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

Life

Paul Ramsey undertook his doctoral studies at Yale where he was mentored by

H. Richard Niebuhr Helmut Richard Niebuhr (; September 3, 1894 – July 5, 1962) was an American theologian and Protestant minister who is considered one of the most important Christian ethicists in 20th-century America. He is best known for his 1951 book ''Chr ...

. He subsequently taught

Christian Ethics Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system. It is a Virtue ethics, virtue ethic, which focuses on building moral character, and a Deontological ethics, deontological ethic which emphasizes duty according ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. Ramsay has been credited with laying the intellectual foundations of

and

informed consent Informed consent is an applied ethics principle that a person must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about accepting risk. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatments, alternative treatme ...

through his book ''The Patient as Person'', which has continued to be a standard text in medical ethics across multiple editions. His book ''Basic Christian Ethics'' has been used as a seminary book for decades, but his greatest impact on social thought came through his examination of medical issues, such as abortion, euthanasia and genetic control. He has been credited with re-introducing

into Protestant ethical reflection.

Education and teachings at Princeton

Ramsey earned his bachelor's degree from

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded ...

, and both his bachelor of divinity and doctorate from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He became a Professor of History and Social Sciences at his alma mater, and then served as an assistant Professor of Christian ethics at Garrett Bible Institute. In 1944, Ramsey joined the faculty at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

as the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion. He was elected a member of the

Institute Of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

in 1972 for his contributions to the field of bioethics.

Death

After teaching at

for almost 40 years, Ramsey died from a heart attack at the age of 74 at the

Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center (PMC), formerly known as the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, is a 355-bed non-profit, tertiary, and academic medical center located in Plainsboro, New Jersey, servicing the Central Jerse ...

Views

Bioethics

Ramsey aligned himself with deontologial normative theories, rather than the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

teachings of relative autonomy of

natural law Natural law (, ) is a Philosophy, philosophical and legal theory that posits the existence of a set of inherent laws derived from nature and universal moral principles, which are discoverable through reason. In ethics, natural law theory asserts ...

and

morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...

. He has addressed the concepts of

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

organ donation Organ donation is the process when a person authorizes an organ (anatomy), organ of their own to be removed and organ transplantation, transplanted to another person, #Legislation and global perspectives, legally, either by consent while the d ...

, and fetal experimentation. In 1972 Ramsey wrote an article for the Journal of the American Medical Association in which he strongly opposed in vitro fertilization, declaring that it "constitutes unethical medical experimentation on possible future human beings, and therefore, it is subject to absolute moral prohibition."

Notable works

''Basic Christian Ethics'' (1950)

''Basic Christian Ethics'' is one of Ramsey's most famous contributions to Christian ethics. It has been one of the most prominent theology books used in the education system and provides Ramsey's insights into the basic morals and values of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. It is a comprehensive look into the field of Christian ethics and presents what it means to think in a combination of theology and ethics.

''The Patient as Person: Explorations in Medical Ethics'' (1970)

''The Patient as Person: Explorations in Medical Ethics'' is a book written by Ramsey centered around biomedical ethics. He discusses the ethical principle of consent in the medical field and the care of those already dying. He also discusses the medical actions and ramifications of

, tying into the topic of consent. This book considers more deeply

and the benefits allocated to each individual depending on needs. This book gained renown for its ability to tackle controversial topics while providing scrutinizing theories that question the relationship and confidentiality of the patient and physician.

''The Ethics of Fetal Research'' (1975)

''The Ethics of Fetal Research'' discusses Ramsey's views on the action of experimentation done on fetuses, particularly those that are still alive. This book examines both drug experimentation and testing, as well as discusses the foundations and fundamentals of moral medical policies.

''The Essential Paul Ramsey'' (1994)

''The Essential Paul Ramsey'' is a collection of Ramsey's papers, edited by William Werpehowski and Stephen D. Crocco. Selections deal with such issues as race relations, sexuality and marriage, war, the meaning of Christian love, abortion, and medical care for the sick and dying.

Bibliography

* Basic Christian Ethics (1950) * War and the Christian Conscience: How Shall Modern War Be Conducted Justly? Durham, North Carolina 1961 * Nine Modern Moralists, Prentice Hall, 1962 * Deeds and Rules in Christian Ethics, University of America Press 1967. * The Case of the Curious Exception in Gene Outka and Paul Ramsey eds. Norm and context in Christian Ethics, New York 1968. * The Just War: Force and Political Responsibility, New York 1968 * Fabricated Man * The Ethics of Fetal Research, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1975. * Doing evil to achieve good : moral choice in conflict situations, Loyola University Press, Chicago, 1978, (with

Richard A. McCormick Richard A. McCormick (1922 – February 12, 2000) was a leading liberal Catholic moral theologian who reshaped Catholic thought in the United States. He wrote many journal articles on Catholic social teachings and moral theory. He was an e ...

, S.J.) * The Patient as Person. Explorations in medical ethics, March 1970, New Haven, Connecticut * The Essential Paul Ramsey * Ethics at the Edges of Life, New Haven: Yale U.P., 1980. * Speak Up for Just War or Pacifism. A Critique of the United Methodist Bishops' Pastoral Letter "In Defense of Creation" Pennsylvania State University Press, 1988

Secondary literature

* Michael C. McKenzie, ''Paul Ramsey's Ethics: The Power of 'Agape' in a Postmodern World'' (Westport: Praeger, 2001). * Kevin Carnahan, ''Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Ramsey: Idealist and Pragmatic Christians on Politics, Philosophy, Religion, and War '' (2010). * Adam Hollowell, ''Power and Purpose: Paul Ramsey and Contemporary Christian Political Theology'' (Eerdmans, 2015).

References

External links

* The Birth of Bioethics: Who is Paul Ramsey? (Albert R. Jonsen, 2001 from the preface to the second edition of Paul Ramsey's groundbreaking book The Patient as Person
Thecbc.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Paul 1913 births 1988 deaths

Christian ethicists A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Chr ...

Methodist theologians People from Mendenhall, Mississippi Millsaps College alumni Yale University alumni Princeton University faculty Burials at Princeton Cemetery Members of the National Academy of Medicine