Perspect Biol Med. 2020;63(3):420-428. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2020.0030.
The author's skepticism about certifying bioethicists has a 20-year history. The hazards of certification include doubts about whether an online, multiple-choice exam measures what is important in bioethical deliberation. Other worries include the potential neglect of informal reasoning processes used by patients and families, the creation of a false sense of expertise, and how certification can disenfranchise lay members of ethics committees. This essay does not seek to reverse the growing trend toward certification but urges humility both in the process of certification and in interpreting the results. Humility is here defined through the works of Judith Andre and Jack Coulehan. Three kinds of humility are described as important for bioethics work: epistemic, moral, and ontological. The current qualifications for taking the certification exam are discussed, and suggestions for a better approach are offered.
作者对认证生物伦理学家持怀疑态度已有 20 年的历史。认证的风险包括对在线多项选择考试是否能衡量生物伦理审议中重要内容的质疑。其他担忧包括可能忽视患者和家属使用的非正式推理过程、产生虚假的专业感，以及认证如何剥夺伦理委员会非专业成员的权利。本文并非试图扭转认证日益增长的趋势，而是敦促在认证过程和解释结果中保持谦逊。谦逊在这里是通过朱迪思·安德烈和杰克·库勒汉的著作来定义的。描述了三种对生物伦理学工作很重要的谦逊：认知的、道德的和本体论的。讨论了参加认证考试的当前资格，并提出了更好方法的建议。
